Turmoil

I let my arms drop to my sides as I slowly acknowledged the man in front of us. I simply could not believe it. Jenny had told me the man was alive. He was a strange fellow-- the specimens in jars confirmed it, he was just a dissociative identity disorder, nothing I haven't seen before. Just think of the guy in Split. No one around him seemed to understand classic cases such as this one, generally lived in seclusion, hidden away from society slowly trying to get a hold on their other personalities through psychiatrists. However, it seemed he was making due. He strode towards his desk opposite the couch that I had previously occupied.

"Make yourself comfortable?" He asked Nick and I. I looked towards Nick his expression complex. He did not know who the man standing in front of us was. He could be very dangerous which is why I had declined every job he had offered to me.

"Who the hell are you?" Nick asked uttering out the words knowing the man was not to be trusted.

"Who am I? The more relevant question, Mr. Morton is: Who exactly are you? In theory, I know all about you. Army reconnaissance, decorated soldier and page after page indicating a deep and troubling moral attitude. But you see, this file contains nothing of any real value to me. That's why I wanted to see you face to face. Along with the incredible badass Dr. Elizabeth O'Connell, graduated from the University of Cambridge with two doctorates in psychology and archeology. Esteemed military connections, decorated soldier as well. Highly intelligent and beautiful." Dr. Jekyll-Hyde said to us. I rolled my eyes as he threw our files down onto the desk.

"Who are you?" Nick asked again perplexed. As Dr. Jekyll crossed the room to both of us getting into Nick's personal bubble.

"I am a doctor." He answered. I scoffed and crossed my arms. The epitome of doctor for him seemed almost completely unlikely. However, he did have his own accomplishments.

"Doctor?" Nick asked, looking at me with a question in his eyes.

"Dr. O'Connell does not share the same pedigree. We do not share the same ideals, it's why she has been turning down my job offers since she graduated. Turning down the thousands of dollars I would've thrown at her." Jekyll smiled as Nick looked at me and I just shrugged at him. I never told him based on the incessant questions he would ask and the fact that I did not care to explain what dissociative personality disorder was.

"Chemical pathology, neurosurgery. Fellow of the Royal Society. Also a lawyer." He said to both of us. I cracked a smile.

"Not a very good one." I told Nick the insult rolling off Dr. Jekyll's back. As he pushed past the both of us towards the table laid out behind us that looked like something out of an insane asylum. They hadn't used those in ages.

"My name is Jekyll. Dr. Henry Jekyll." He explained to Nick. As he picked up a sophisticated looking syringe. "There you are. These days, I specialize in immunology, perhaps." He said as he walked back towards us the 'vaccine' in hand. "Infectious diseases perhaps. I would like, If I may, Mr. Morton to tell you a story. A story about a patient of mine. A man of promise. A man who believed he was beyond reproach until he got ill. The disease manifested itself in subtle ways at first. And then it grew into an overwhelming desire, an unquenchable thirst..." He readied the syringe flicking the vial as he went about to inject himself. He placed the needle to his skin and sighed as the fluid hit his blood supply. Before his voice changed into one of a much deeper vernacular. He moved to sit down in his seat behind the desk. "For chaos. For the suffering of others. He was quite fortunate. He himself was a physician. And if evil were a pathogen to be reasoned, then there must surely be a cure. I would like to, if I may, Mr. Morton to show you something." He crossed the room coming back into our faces his voice changing back to normalcy. I smirked putting the pieces together. He had our mummy. Moving again to the locked scanner door he placed his palm on it, it scanned and upon recognition of the disgraced Doctor it opened with a click and we all walked through it. I looked in awe as I saw the room we had entered. Beautiful medieval architecture. A grand skylight above where Amhanet was being held in a circular prison. She was being held by chains as steam rose up to create an eerie scene. She looked up glaring at me. I looked to Nick behind me and saw his expression had not changed. He looked altogether, unfazed.

"Welcome to Prodigium, Mr. Morton. From the Latin: Monstrum Vel Prodigium. A warning of monsters. Forgive the state of things. We had very little time to prepare for our guest. And only the information Jennifer provided to go on. In truth, she works for us. It's not an exact science, this business." I watched as Jennifer strode up to me with a blank expression on her face. She didn't look ecstatic like when she had first told me about this job.

"And the business being?" Nick asked taking forever to catch on.

"Evil, Mr. Morton. Recognize, contain, examine, destroy. She is, by far, the most ancient we have ever encountered." He said looking over to Ahmanet, no doubt a wide smile plastered on his face.

"What are you doing to her?" Nick asked as I looked at her closely, there were IV lines connected to her arms and neck. I cringed as I recognized the metallic silver liquid.

"Embalming her with mercury. At -38 degrees the mercury in her veins will solidify and she should be safe for dissection then." Jekyll informed him.

"Dissection? You said that we'd study her." Jenn burst out seeming infuriated.

"Yes, by dissection." Jekyll said spinning on his heel to face her.

"But she is a living witness to a history that we barely know." Jenny tried to reason with the mad doctor. Although to be completely honest I agreed with him, conflicted because I wanted to know more. Why she had been erased. Why she did what she did. What times were back then.

"She is a threat, Jennifer." Jekyll spoke calmly.

"Hold on, hold on. So.. Where does that leave me?" Nick asked him as Jekyll paced around him.

"Cursed, Mr. Morton." He answered confirming what we had originally thought outside the pub. "This is not some common cold you have. Some chicken soup and a good night sleep will not make it go away. You have been selected as the vessel for the ultimate evil. And we are the only ones who can rectify that." I watched as the emotions broke from Nicks formally stoic face. He looked at me as if to say, 'help'. I dropped my eyes to the ground, I needed to get us out of here.

"You cannot change your fate. The curse will never be broken. My chosen was murdered. You will take his place." I heard the scratchy voice from behind me, I turned my head to stare at the mummy I had lifted from the tomb. Nick moved past me to Ahmanet almost fully regenerated. I was about to reply when I heard Nicks ancient Egyptian tear through the air like a fighter jet.

"But if you chose him, why were you going to kill him?" Nick asked as I was grabbed by Jekyll and Jennifer on each side.

"No." They whispered to me. I tore my arms from their grip forcefully glaring at each of them.

"I was not going to kill him. I was going to give him eternal life. Make him a living God." She told Nick trying to manipulate the truth.

"LIES." I spat out in the language that could be considered dead. Nick looked back to me as I took my stance, she smiled and lowly laughed at me, the laugh turning into a cough that no doubt stung her lungs.

"You murdered your father." Nick spoke slowly pushing her for the truth as to why she would not kill him despite everyone she already did.

"I loved my father with all my heart. I only wanted his love in return." She said still spinning the web of lies.

"You killed his wife. Their child." He said to her trying to get her to confess.

"Those were different times. The day of the awakening will soon be upon us. You will become Set. The world will fall to your desire. You will have power of life over death. And you will have me. I will be your queen. Just give in." She said. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Nick. Nick, wake up. Wake up." I yelled to him begging him to leave the bitch to her death by liquid mercury.

"They will kill you just as they killed my chosen before you." She said to all of us.

"It burns." She continued slowly.

"What?" Nick asked in English this time.

"It BURNS!" She yelled at us. I covered my ears crouching down from the squeal that had my ears aching.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop! Stop it! Stop!" Nick yelled to the men surrounding the chamber. As Ahmanet moaned in pain.

"Fascinating." Dr. Jekyll said to us and walked off towards god knows where to check on whatever could be more pressing.

"Jenny a word..." I asked her as I pointed up towards the upstairs overlook where we could be in private. She nodded slowly as she led the way upstairs. Nick following like a hurt puppy behind us. "What the hell?! You poached my find from me. I knew you would, but this is a bit out of control. If I'd known you'd gotten yourself into this much trouble I'd have at least tried to get you a more respectful job." I whispered at her, annoyed at her stupidity.

"What was I supposed to tell you? Would you even have believed me if I said that this place was real? When Henry came to me I took the job because we had a common interest." I rolled my eyes crossing my arms as we took a seat on the overlook. I sat between the two as to make sure no fights would break out. Though I was having a hard time not strangling the woman next to me.

"Yes I would have, as crazy as it is." I told her through my teeth. Knowing my family had lived through much worse than this. 3 fucking mummies. This was only one and I was having trouble containing the entire situation. It felt like failure. But it was not over yet.

"So you are using each other." Nick said to Jenny referring to Jekyll.

"Now, she's using you." Jenny told him clearly trying to get out of the spotlight. She sighed unhappily.

"Look. Despite what you might think, despite my.. my better judgment I care about you. Somewhere in there, fighting to get out is a good man." She told him looking absolutely defeated knowing she would never get the information she wanted working for Jekyll. She was already disgraced in our community. Both she and I knew it from the moment she accepted the job.

"You don't know that." Nick told her looking into her eyes across from me in the middle.

"I do." She said.

"How?" Nick asked her, Jennifer pulled out my phone that she had in her pocket. Thank god it was password protected. I wouldn't want her to get that information that was currently saved in the files. I looked at it and stood up, turned it on, and waited.

"You saved my life on that plane. You gave me the only parachute without hesitation." She said as I looked at the phone as the lock screen powered up. I quickly swiped up seeing a missed call from Josephine. It dialed her back and I held the phone to my ear.

"I think I found something. I can't talk long but we found it. Though there's some men here from Jekylls industry. We won't have much time before they know where it is." She told me hurriedly and in a whisper as I walked slowly down the stairs to go see Ahmanet. Leaving Jenny and Nick to talk.

"I'm in a bit of a bind right now. But I'll see what I can do in the meantime to slow things down here. Just get out of there as soon as you can. I have a feeling they know exactly where you two are." I told her in a whisper. She agreed and hung up the phone. I walked towards the circular basin where they had placed my mummy.

"You have seen... What you must know... I have studied the word of the old gods and the new." I told her slowly as I studied her features. The rotten muscle exposed on her shoulders the collar around her neck pumping the mercury into her veins. The chains rattled as she pulled on them to get closer to me. The mercury stopping her movements just as soon as she had started.

"The old Gods?" She uttered out at me unhappy that I had, in her mind, disgraced the only gods she had ever known.

"Your language is simple. What you truly wish to know is what lies beyond the veil of death. To know what I have seen?" Ahmanet asked me. It wasn't what I wanted to know. But I led her to believe that's what I wanted. I did want to see Evelyn, Ardeth and Jonathan. I did want to know they were alright. That when it was time for me to go there was something to look forward to on the other side of death. But that was not what I was after this time around.

"Yes." I uttered out to her my lower jaw grinding into my upper as I lied through my teeth.

"And you will, when I kill you." She told me. I smiled, tempting her to do so.

"I'd like to see you try princess." I told her choosing a more rash side to portray.

"They have found the stone. You brought my chosen here. What do you think they will do with him now?" She asked me, I broke eye contact with the double eyed demon and looked up into the rafters seeing that Nick was no where to be found and Jenny was staring at me conversing with Ahmanet. I knew she understood the words she spoke. We shared a look and knew we needed to get back to Nick wherever he had wandered off to. I met her at the bottom of the stairs she grabbed my hand and rushed towards one of Jekylls right hand men. We followed him towards the door that was take us back into the office I had come through originally.

"Excuse me, sir. They found it." I grimaced as I heard the words in the goons' voice.

"What... found what?" Nick asked us as we appeared behind the man who we followed here.

"Henry. Are you planning on killing him?" Jennifer cut through the silence as Jekyll took in the information that was presented to him.

"Kill him?" Nick asked me as I moved to his side.

"Jennifer..." he started but was cut off by Nick once again.

"Kill who?" Nick asked him. The dread in his voice seeping through to his features.

"Mr. Morton here essentially killed himself when he severed the barrier chain that had kept Ahmanets power imprisoned for 5,000 years. He was chosen as her ideal candidate. A thief, physically capable, compulsively devious and utterly devoid of soul." Jekyll explained to the now perplexed Jennifer. She had gotten herself into a world that she could not comprehend and had no idea what was going to come. I rolled my eyes for the gazillionith time today.

"What?" Nick asked as Jennifer stepped over his confusion.

"What? That's insane. Do you want to put the stone in the dagger and stab him with it?" Jennifer asked as she put the pieces together.

"The dagger will allow Set to enter his body. And then we obliterate it." He said to us as if he had the 'evil world' all figured out.

"That's not exactly humane or how anyone who has done this before would do this." I told him.

"So you're telling me that Josephine and Richard O'Connell saved the Americans that opened the chest that essentially sealed their fate as well?" Jekyll spoke to me. I shockingly stared at him. My words failing me.

"I'm saying they would've and did try, despite their best efforts Imhotep was too strong." I told him after a second of silence.

"Dr. O'Connell, you cannot possibly believe for one second that your great grandparents were there to save the world from peril AND save their friends they had made in the process? Decisions I'm sure had to be made to keep the peace. Regardless, if they were hard to make." He spoke to me, my blood boiled with anger.

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you want to stab me with that thing? Intentionally?" Nick asked as he looked at me the turmoil playing like a movie on his face.

"Precisely what the Egyptians should have done. You see, they interrupted a ritual in process and that is a mistake we cannot afford to repeat-- clearly." Jekyll told the three of us looking to me at the last part.

"That's the plan?" Nick asked us.

"We are not Egyptians. We are Doctors! We have a duty to contain it, yes. But kill an innocent man in the process, I don't think so!" I yelled before I was cut off by Jennifer.

"Henry, you can't possibly do this." She said as she moved closer to her mentor as he almost fell into his desk distracting me from the moment. I stepped back slowly knowing his alternate personality could be coming through at any moment.

"That's your plan?" Nick asked again.

"Nick stop repeating yourself." I told him getting annoyed at his antics.

"The dominoes are already falling. We haven't much time. Unfortunately, it is a risk we must take." Jekyll tried to convince us it was the only option. "You heard Ahmanet. Your curse cannot be broken. I am truly sorry, Mr. Morton. No matter what I do, you are going to die. Yes, evil is a disease. A pestilent pustulant infection burrowing its way into our souls. The world needs a cure. You can be that cure." He continued on his tirade, his voice lowering and his movements shifting as he tried to get to the vial and needle needed to stop his transformation.

"Stop." Nick tried to reason with the man who was turning into the evil he had described as his 'patient' earlier that evening.

"A sacrifice for the greater good!" He yelled once more trying to get his point across to Nick.

"I'm not interested in that at all." Nick said to him as Jekyll fell behind his desk in pain, yelling. He rolled the syringe almost off the desk but Nick grabbed it.

"Nick... I know you don't know much about psychology but that is what seemingly is keeping him in control." I told him quickly getting the words out as I took another step backwards towards the door.

"Don't! Give me the injector." Jekyll yelled at him.

"We are just gonna take a minute and we are all gonna come up with a new plan." Nick told us trying desperately to save his own ass.

"We have to go." The goon said behind us. I stepped back again with Jennifer doing the same.

"You don't know what you are doing." He said to him.

"Really? I know exactly what I'm doing." Nick told him again hoping to get the situation back under control.

"Nick..." I breathed out as I watched Jekylls body convulse and become someone else.

"Oh my dear Henry Jekyll if ever I've ever seen Satans signature upon a face, is on that of your new friend." Jekyll rose up his entire body performing a 180. His new evil friend coming out to play.

"Hey, hey hey! Take it!" Nick told him as he realized the gravity of the situation. He set the vial down on the desk and backed away his hands up in surrender.

"Run, Mr. Morton." I heard Jekyll utter out as he reached for the vial.

"What?" Nick asked him as he had never seen this happen before to a human being.

"Run!" Jekyll yelled as I was pulled through the door behind Jenny. I looked towards the locked door begging the man to open it again. He shook his head as I continually banged on the door hoping Nick would be alright, but it was a far stretch. A door opened to my left and I took the opportunity leaving the other two in the dust as I ran through it, I needed to get Nick out as soon as possible.

"Elizabeth!! STOP!" I heard Jenny yelling behind me as I sprinted off in the opposite direction of safety.