Sorry this chapter is so late! I had some family stuff this week, but here it is now!
For those of you new to the story, here are the chapter links and a brief summary
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven| Eight | Nine
Captain Dirk Drake is Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s favorite agent who has spent the last two years recovering from an injury from his previous mission in Africa. Still adapting to his mechanical arm, Capt. Dirk is given the dangerous mission of investigating the ever-growing cloud of deadly smog rising out of the slums of London. He’s been given a new assistant on this case, Miss Theo Minksy, and they’ve been given a lead. After meeting their informant at the notorious nightclub “White Mink” a name, The Gideon Rose Syndicate, has arisen. Following a further lead, the duo set off to a secret meeting for Syndicate members where they uncovered a shocking truth. The Syndicate believes that becoming Ravagers is part of a sacred spiritual process called the Enlightenment. Struggling to find answers, Dirk and Theo set off for the Slums in hopes of uncovering the truth. Down there, the duo encounter a hoard of Ravagers and find themselves lost in the smoggy London slums. Barely escaping with their lives, Dirk returns home to find an ominous message waiting for him. Deciding to investigate further, he returns to White Mink to find more answers. After an unexpected encounter with Yvette and Jack, Theo returns to the lab to unravel the mysteries of the Enlightenment.
Dirk burst back into the lab, breathing raggedly with sweat dripping down his face. The lab was exactly how he’d left it, various liquids bubbling over bunsen burners and pages of Theo’s notes scattered over every surface. Only one thing was missing, Theo.
“Theo?” Dirk called confusedly. “Theo, I’m back.”
A dark chuckle resonated around the room as a shadowy figure emerged from behind a large piece of machinery. The room was silent as the figure’s shoes clicked against the cold stone floor and his face came into the light.
“It…it can’t be.” Dirk murmured, his face growing pale.
There stood his old friend Jack, his face twisted into an ugly expression of sickening glee. The raised, white, puckering flesh of his scar stood out against the tan flesh covering his badly scarred-left eye. His remaining right eye sparkled with unholy joy and a touch of madness as he observed the horror-struck look on his once-friend’s face.
“Never saw this coming, did ya, Captain?” Jack asked in a singsong voice, far too happy for the severity of the situation.
“Why though Jack? Why would you–”
“Ah ah ah!” Jack waved a finger disapprovingly ,“Not going by that name anymore, am I? It’s The Doc now.”
“But…but at White Mink earlier, you…you helped us! You did, Jack, I rem–”
“Stop lying!” The Doc yelled. His face shifted from glee to rage as he strode towards the captain, stopping so close Dirk could see the beads of sweat on his tanned face. “All you ever do is lie, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking ab–”
“Oh don’t act like you don’t know, dear Captain.” The Doc’s voice once again took on a sickly sweet tone. “Remember Africa, Dirk dear? Remember what you promised me?”
His eyes narrowed as he took in Dirk’s confused expression. “No? Hmm, I guess I’ll have to remind you then.” Grabbing the Captain’s forearm with one hand and his hair with the other, The Doc leaned in even closer and breathed into his ear, his breath hot and sticky.
“You promised you wouldn’t leave me, that we’d be together ‘till the end. Remember now?” Hysteria began to creep into his voice, “You…you said you’d always be there for me. But…but you lied, you left me, just like everyone else! After the first Ravager attack, when I was in the hospital, alone, dying, you…you weren’t there for me. Where were you? Where were you when the Doctors diagnosed me with the Ravager virus? When I was removed from active duty? When your precious Crown, instead of welcoming me back like a hero, threw me out onto the London streets like I was nothing?”
The Doc’s voice had been growing more and more agitated as he spoke. His shoulders were shaking with barely-suppressed rage. Taking a deep breath, The Doc spoke again, eerily calm, cocking his head to the side. “Where. Were. You?”
“Jack…Jack if you’d just let me explain–”
“NO! I’m done with your lies! I don’t need you anymore, I–I’ve moved on.”
“Jack…Jack it wasn’t like that–”
“Enough!” The Doc roared, pushing the Captain away from him angrily. “You had your chance and it’s gone. You betrayed my trust, tore my heart out. Now I think it’s time I return the favor. Yvette!”
Yvette walked into the room, her usually flawless appearance marred by a bruise on her cheek and her disheveled hair. She was carrying a black briefcase in one hand and dragging a semi-conscious Theo behind her.
“Theo!” Dirk yelled, taking a step in her direction.
“Hold on a moment, Captain.” The Doc said serenely, stepping in his path.
“Get out of the way, Jack.”
“I told you…it’s the Doc now. And I’m afraid I won’t be doing that. You see, your darling little assistant is sick, and I think it’s time I gave her some medicine.”
Yvette opened the black briefcase to reveal a glimmering hypodermic syringe, filled with an ominous black liquid.
Theo’s drooping eyes widened in panic at the sight of the syringe, while Dirk’s face showed his confusion.
“Ah, I see you’re a bit slower to catch on than your lovely assistant. This syringe contains a blood sample from one of my recently Enlightened followers.”
“No…” Dirk choked out.
Walking over to the terrified Theo, he patted her cheek encouragingly. “Don’t fret my dear, you should feel honored. Imagine, you of all the people in this blasted city, are receiving the honor of Enlightenment from the Doc himself!” The Doc confidently rolled up Theo’s sleeve, wiping her forearm with an antibacterial swab.
“Now, I’d tell you this won’t hurt a bit, but then I’d be lying,” the Doc smiled cruelly in Dirk’s direction. “And we all know what I think of liars, don’t we?”
Before Dirk had a chance to react, The Doc inserted the needle into Theo’s arm, finger hovering over the plunger.
“Good bye, darling Theo.” The Doc crooned, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Theo clenched her eyes shut, preparing for the plunge, but it never came.
There was a crash as the Doc fell to the floor, his limbs twitching erratically. The syringe slipped through his twitching fingers and shattered on the floor. His mouth was opened in a silent scream and only the white of his good eye was visible. Everyone stood frozen in shock until finally, the Doc ceased his twitching and lay in a heap on the floor.
“Doc?” Yvette asked, her voice quivering with fear as she nudged him with her hand.
The man on the floor groaned as he sat up, looking around at his surroundings confusedly until he locked eyes with Dirk.
“Oh no…” he breathed, bringing a hand up to his face. “W-what have I done.”
He rose from the floor on shaky legs, leaning heavily on one of the metallic tabletops. He rested for several minutes until his legs stopped trembling. Taking a deep breath, the man straightened up and spoke in a soft, quivering voice.
“Dirk…Dirk listen, I know you’re gonna have trouble believing this, but it’s me, Jack.”
Seeing Dirk hastily open his mouth to object, Jack quickly cut him off. “I know…I-I know this is going to sound crazy, but the man you saw before, the man…no…the monster responsible for all this,” Jack angrily gestured to Theo and the chaos of the lab, “that wasn’t me. The Doc…well, he’s inside me. He’s up here, you know?” Jack tapped his forehead for emphasis.
“But,” Jack paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts “he and I…we…well I guess we aren’t the same person. I can’t control what he does or when he comes out, it’s like we’re two different people, sharing this broken body. I tried to stop him. Tried to help you when I could, but he’s just too strong.”
A single tear ran down Jack’s scarred cheek. His hands began to tremble. Dirk’s skeptical gaze softened and he took a hesitant step towards the tormented man.
“Stop!” Jack yelled, his voice hoarse, he continued in a whisper. “Don’t-d-don’t come any closer Dirk. I can’t…” Jack’s face twisted into a pained expression and he sank to the floor. Dirk took another step forward.
“I-I can’t control him for much longer. H-he’s too strong for me now. I’m sorry Dirk…I’m so so sorry.” Jack froze, his entire body tensing up.
“Jack? Jack, mate. You alright?” Dirk cautiously took a step forward, tapping the man’s shoulder with his cane.
The man lashed out, grabbing Dirk’s cane, causing Dirk to stumble. “I told you already, Captain dear. It’s ‘The Doc’ now. Jack is dead.”
The Doc shoved the captain away, rising once again to his feet. Looking in dismay at the shattered syringe on the floor, the Doc shook his head sadly.
“It’s a shame, really. This could have been so much more pleasant if things had gone according to the plan.” The Doc heaved a dramatic sigh, reaching for a silver whistle on a chain around his neck. “Oh well, there is more than one way to bring about Enlightenment.” He blew a single, shrill note into the air.
Six Ravagers stumbled into the laboratory, their vacant eyes locking hungrily onto the human occupants. Dirk raised his cane, activating the Tesla Gun hidden within. The first Ravager lunged clumsily at the Captain, earning him a harsh shock from the Tesla Gun. It fell to the floor with a shriek. The other five backed up, eyeing the Captain warily.
“You think you can stop this, Captain?” The Doc shouted hysterically. “This is the course of nature, we cannot be stopped. You may strike down one of us, but there will be hundreds more to take the fallen’s place. Accept the inevitable, submit to the Enlightenment!”
Dirk dodged another Ravager, “like hell I will! I’ll keep fighting as long as I have breath in my body to do so!”
The Doc’s eyes sparked gleefully. “Oh I was so hoping you’d say that!” Reaching into his waistcoat, the Doc pulled out a pistol and aimed it calmly at the Captain’s head.
“Goodbye dear Captain, it’s been fun.” The Doc pulled the trigger and fired. But instead of hitting the Captain’s head, the bullet lodged in the tender flesh of Dirk’s shoulder. Dirk cried out in pain, falling to the ground in agony. He failed to see the horrified look on Jack’s face as he lowered the gun. Yvette didn’t miss a thing.
She tugged Theo close to her, fingers fumbling with the ropes on Theo’s wrists. Finally, after several seconds of struggling, Theo was free. Turing to face the singer, she raised one eyebrow quizzically.
“Now why would you do something like that?”
Yvette bit her lip and looked at the wounded Captain. “I–Just…Just tell your Captain to remember his promise when this is all over. Now, go get the antidote, I think you might be needing it. It’s not too late to stop him.” Patting Theo’s shoulder reassuringly, Yvette dashed out of the laboratory, disappearing into the foggy London night.
Theo rushed over to her abandoned antidote, inserting the serum into an arial dispenser, “Let’s just hope this works.” Pointing the nozzle at the remaining Ravagers, she pressed the button down, and watched in amazement as the Ravagers slumped to the ground, corpses once again. The only people left standing in the room were Theo and the Doc.
“No!” Jack bellowed, apparently talking to no one. “I can’t let this happen, this has to stop.”
“Oh but Jack, my dear. It’s far too late for that. You and I are one, you see. One cannot exist without the other, we’re both up here.” The Doc tapped his forehead, grinning evilly.
“O-one cannot exist without the other, is that right?” Jack asked in a shaky voice, raising the pistol to his temple. “Well I guess it’s all or nothing, huh? I’ll see you in hell.”
Turning to Theo, Jack gave a halfhearted salute, tears running down his face. “I’m sorry. Can I ask one last favor of you? Ask…ask Dirk to forgive me, can you do that Theo? And tell him…tell him I’m sorry.” Taking a deep he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.
Theo screamed, watching the tortured man fall to the ground, smoking gun still in his hand. She covered her mouth with her hand, crying as she watched the blood pool around him. Sinking to the ground, clutching the antidote like a lifeline, Theo sat on the cold, stone floor of the laboratory, sobbing.
~
London
June, 1883
Theo knocked on the door of the hospital room, waiting impatiently for a reply from inside. She waited for several moments before opening the door and peeking in.
“Captain? Everything alright in here?” Theo stifled a laugh as she saw the Captain struggling with his bow tie and jacket.
“Oh Captain!” Theo smiled affectionately at him, “Let me help you with that.”
“Thank you, m’dear. My mechanical arm is still giving me some trouble from that gunshot wound last month.” Dirk scratched the top of his head sheepishly.
“There! Simply smashing, shall we?” Linking arms with the Captain, the two linked arms and walked out of the hospital to hail a carriage to the palace.
Upon their arrival, they were escorted to an antechamber and told to wait for their audience with the Queen. The two barely had time to admire the wallpaper before a quiet clearing of the throat was heard.
“Her Majesty will see you now,” the aged butler said in a reedy tone, bobbing his head as the Captain and companion scurried past.
Entering the dimly-lit room, the duo bowed as the richly-clothed monarch rose regally to her feet. “Captain Dirk Drake! And Miss Theo Minsky too! Well done both of you, without your wit and quick action, we would never have stopped the Gideon Rose Syndicate in time.”
“Thank you, your Majesty, all in a day’s work, eh Theo?” Dirk smiled charmingly at his pretty companion.
“Your Majesty?” Theo asked quietly, still blushing from Dirk’s antics.
“Yes child?”
“The…the research from Jack’s headquarters. What happened to it?”
“Oh, not to worry, it’s being destroyed as we speak.”
“Thank you, your Majesty. I just hate to think what that kind of knowledge could to in the wrong hands.”
Queen Victoria frowned. “Me too, child. Me too.”
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Dirk bowed once again. “Well your Majesty, I think it’s time I took my leave, unless there was something else?”
“No no, both you and Theo are free to go, I just wanted to personally thank you for, once again, saving us all.”
The duo bowed before leaving the chamber and a man entered, handing a thick envelope to the queen. She broke the seal, scanning the scientific notes of the late Dr. Jack Matthews. “You’re sure this is all of his work, correct?”
“Yes, your Majesty. All of it.”
“Good, we wouldn’t want this kind of information falling into the wrong hands again…”
~
Theo and Dirk walked back to their office together, enjoying the beautiful summer day. Upon arriving, they were greeted by a frantic Mrs. White.
“Captain! Captain look ‘ere! Yer got yerself another case! Just came in a telegram this morning. From a Miss Yvette, I believe? She says this one is right up your alley.”
Dirk took the telegram from Mrs. Whites fingers, turning to smile at Theo.
“What do you say? Ready for another adventure?”
Theo smiled back, patting his hand. “Anytime.”
~
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Leave me a comment!
I can’t believe I’m done!!!! AH!