Prelude

They had hardly been able to interrogate or persuade Olalla into decoding the Jeziquel book, when the door busted open. Dance heard Fedora's pistole click as she lifted it in a swift movement. However she lowered it minimally, when she recognised who had entered.

Silas was pressing his hand against the eye-patch that hide the Seeing Toad from view. He cringed and grumbled something to himself. "What is it, Silas?", asked Dance unnerved, "Are you not supposed to position some off your men downstairs?" "I did that, sir", responded Silas and carefully removed his hand from his eye-patch, "However the toad showed me something: Hyde and Ravi are in the building."

How? I thought, I let the place be guarded! Apparently these henchmen can't do anything right! Nothing off Dance's actual anger came through his cool and collected visage. Behind him he could hear Fedora inhale. Her long, slender fingers softly cupped his neck. "What shall we do, darling?", the woman asked, "Wait for them to come here? Or meet them downstairs?" She gave him a half questioning, half knowing look. He usually always had a plan B for situations like this.

Dance slowly stepped towards the table. On it laid his monocane dart gun. The undead man slowly and softly took it in his hands. He opened the magazine. Taking a green monocane dart, he placed it into it. "Let them come here." With a swift movement Dance made the pistole snap shot again.

"No!" Olalla's call made him turn his head. She was struggling with the chains against her wrists again. "Leave Robert out off this!", she shouted and angrily bared her teeth, "He has nothing to do with it." Dance sighed. "Once again you are wrong, Olalla", he lectured his daughter, "He is as much in it as you are."

~Jekyll & Hyde~

Robert's head ached when he woke up. His vision was a blur and for a brief moment he only heard a ringing sound in his ears. As if someone had hit him with a pan. Grunting the young Doctor gasped as he tried to shake off the feeling off dizziness. When he tried to move, he realized something: Chains. They wrapped themselves around his ankles and his neck. No wonder his throat felt so dry and swallowing hurt.

Memories flooded his mind. I cannot believe the same thing can happen to the same person twice! It was like being in the storehouse all over again. In fact the situation seemed awfully familiar. He was chained against another chair. The young Doctor looked around. He was in the office that Ravi had seen in his vision. Behind him stood a large table, on which laid the box that contained Captain Dance's monocane dart gun. Light shone through the windows. Opposite to Robert sat Olalla. She avoided looking at him. She avoided looking at anything.

"Well, well, well." His voice a sufficient purr, Dance slowly strolled around the table and rubbed his gloved hands together, face beaming in glee. "I often heard that in studies scientists discovered that twins can feel what the other one feels. They know when their other sibling is in trouble. And apparently this is right. I let a cockatrice loose on London – Olalla travels all the way from Sufflox to help her brother. I capture Olalla – Hyde storms the Daily Truth building. Really, you cannot believe how happy I am right now. It is like I won in the lottery. Twice!"

Robert's brows furrowed. He did not fight against the chains and instead just glared at his foe. "Where is my brother?", the young Doctor asked, "What sick game is this?" Dance smiled. "This is no game, my dear Robert", he responded. It was clear how much he enjoyed the situation they were in, how much he loved having their fate in his hands. "In fact it did not have to happen at all. You could have avoided this all so very easily. If you had just stayed home."

Robert blinked in confusion. "What?", he asked, "But the trap..." "I only had to lay a trap, because you appeared", snarled Dance, "This is not about you, Robert. I have been having a nice chat with my daughter. And then you come and interrupt it!" "A chat?!", shouted Robert, "More like a torture session." He felt his rage make his veins jump, however a good dosis off monocane kept Hyde in a doormat status. Damn it. And now I need him the most.

Dance softly laid a finger on his lips. "Scchhh", he whispered, "No need to get upset. And if I were you, Robert, I would rather avoid any rash actions." He smiled viciously and tilted his head. "It might be very unfortunate for your brother."

There was a creaking sound like an unoiled heaver. Robert's head jerked up at the sound. "RAVI!", he shouted. His little brother laid still unconscious in a large fisher net that hang from the ceiling. Underneath it several Vetala gathered around, baring their teeth, hissing and growling.

"As you can see", Dance stated, "My Vetala are very hungry and very angry. After all your brother killed one of their siblings. So it is natural that they hate him a lot." Robert shivered. His stomach quivered in fear. He was already frightened for Olalla and partly for himself, but seeing Ravi hanging there like a bait made him want to vomit.

"Leave him out off this", Robert begged, "Please!" "I will", smiled Dance, "If you stay out off my business. If you try to interfere however in any way, I guess my children will be very happy about the sudden dinner."

Robert fell silent. He did not know what to say or to do. Turning his head, he looked at Olalla. Right now it seemed they had to let the events unfold and pray for a miracle. Pray that the right moment will come where they could free themselves.

"So", Dance stated and smiled, satisfied with how he had threatened Robert, "Back to our actual business." He moved to the table where his gun and the darts lay and picked up something. The young Doctor squinted his eyes. It took a few seconds for him to recognise the object. It was the Jezequiel Family Book.

Dance opened the book and flipped through the pages. Turning it around, he held it before Olalla. "Decode the book", he ordered. The blonde woman furrowed her brows. She eyed the letters that danced before her eyes, the pretty and detailed imagery. "I will do no such thing", she responded. Dance sighed and rolled his eyes. "You really want to go that way?" He dropped the open book in Fedora's waiting arms. "Olalla, please you cannot fight against your own training. You are still one off us. You are one off Tenebrae."

Olalla bared her teeth. "You know that you are lieing to yourself", she snapped. Sometimes offence was the best defence. "I left Tenebrae! I ran off! I am on Robert's side now, Dance! What makes you believe that I would possibly decode this book? I would die in the end." Dance's lips twitched into a smile. "Who says that you would die in the end?"

"Ehm", responded Olalla sarcastically and waved a hand, making the chain cling, "Every previous example before me! Don't pretend like I am the five year old you captured! I know what happens when I decode the book. You will use to break down the gateway and release Lord Trash. You and Tenebrae would rise to the stature of gods. You want to rule the world with me dead by your side."

"No, Olalla", responded Dance quietly, "With you as an officer by my side." Robert heard Olalla gasp. He too was confused. What game was the undead Captain playing? Where would this lead? His sister blinked and tilted her head. Her rage disappeared like smoke in the thine air and got replaced by confusion and even insecurity.

"I don't understand", Olalla whispered. Dance gestured with his hand as he explained: "You forget who I am, Olalla. I am a senior officer of Tenebrae. I can make decisions. Look, my mad child, ever since you were gone, I missed you very much. I want you back by my side. You are one off the best soldiers that we ever had. And I can feel, you would make a wonderful officer."

Oh, no, Olalla. Please don't fall for that. Robert had always wondered why Olalla admired Dance so much. Now he had an idea why. The way this man spoke... It was like honeyed knifes cut into your brain. The young Doctor knew, he would never ever accept what Dance offered him, even as Hyde. However Olalla was an entirely different matter.

"Why can't you see what Dance is offering you, darling?" Fedora cradled the book in her arms like a baby. "You do not only live, but you will come back to Tenebrae. We would welcome you with open arms, Olalla. Moreover we would evaluate you. When do you get a chance like this?"

Olalla had lowered her head. She was thinking. Her brows were furrowed, she was breathing slower and her eyes moved around under her half closed eyelids. She avoided looking at anybody. Robert felt like he had to say something, anything. Like he had to shout in the desperate hope, his sister would snap out off it.

Dance slowly came closer. His breath softly tickled Olalla's face, making her look up. Her father looked at her with smouldering eyes. His smile was genuine and kind. "Do me this one favour, Olalla", he whispered, "And I will make all your dreams come true." Olalla's eyes widened. Whether in shock or admiration was hard to tell. Her lips parted a bit like she wanted to say something.

Robert did not know what was exactly going on between them, but even he sensed an electric wave off power. The similar feeling he had when he was around Bella or Lily. Something that made your hairs stand on edge and your stomach grow warm and fuzzy. Could it be that this was the same thing? No! This was impossible. Dance was a monster! It had to be something else.

"Don't listen to him, Olalla!" Robert's shout made them all turn their heads. The young Doctor had jerked against his chains. "He does not know you!" Dance took a step back from Olalla. Turning around to look at Robert, he responded quietly: "Don't know her? Please, don't be comical! I know her better then anybody." He gave Olalla a proud and dark smile. "I raised that pretty face twenty years ago."

"Besides" – Dance slowly crossed his arms – "Now you suddenly care about her. After you two fought so much over your opinions. A few months ago you did not even know she existed! So do not pretend like you know her." The undead man slowly walked towards Olalla and stopped behind her. He softly placed a leather gloved hand on her shoulder. "This is your chance. Deny your brother, Olalla, and everything you have done against us will be forgotten."

Olalla's face seemed to be a mask off repressed anger and worry. She probably was a mess, not knowing what to do. "Think about it, Olalla." Dance slowly walked around her once more. "What do you want? A place, where you are accepted, where you are valued. Somebody, who really cares about you. Or be a nobody. The second sibling, always living in the shadows off the other one. I made you somebody. Without me, you would always be number two."

Dance slowly walked back to Fedora. Taking the book out off her hands, he approached his daughter again. "So?" The undead Captain placed the open book before Olalla so she could read and decode it where she was. "What is it going to be? Make your choice!" At this moment a low shot exploded in the room.