The reflection thrust an arm out of the mirror, grabbed Daniel by the shoulder, and pulled him in close.
“How long before I’m the Hyde . . . and you’re just a voice that no one listens to?”
Daniel punched his reflection in the face, but all he hit was the office wall, hard enough to leave a large dent and a lot of cracks. The impact should have broken every bone in his hand, but he barely felt it. Action, without consequences . . . just what he was most afraid of. He turned away to find Edward and Tina staring at him.
“Just putting down a minor rebellion in my head,” said Daniel.
Tina nodded briefly, as though that kind of thing happened every day. Edward started to reach for more meat, and Daniel cleared his throat loudly.
“Maybe I should come back when you’re done.”
Edward sat back in his chair, smiling easily. “I do so admire a practical man. By all means, let us get down to business.”
Tina looked wistfully at what was left of the steaming joint, but Edward pushed the silver platter firmly to one side. Tina dropped sullenly into a chair facing him, and Daniel sat down beside her.
“You need to know why I found it necessary to leave the building yesterday,” said Edward, clasping his hands before him in a businesslike way. “I had to meet with my inside man for the Clan of Mummies. So he could tell me where they’re going to be holding their gathering this year.”
Tina frowned. “What’s so important about this particular inside man that you were ready to go to him instead of summoning him here?”
“He would only agree to meet me on his home ground, where he felt safe,” said Edward. “He was afraid that if the mummies discovered he’d been talking out of turn . . . ”
“They’d kill him?” said Daniel.
“Eventually,” said Edward. “The ancient Egyptians had very strong feelings about betrayal, and they raised torture to an art form. Luckily for us, my man was more angry at them than afraid.”
“Would I be right in assuming that this gathering will be taking place somewhere in London?” said Daniel.
“Where else?” said Edward. “And on this very night.”
“Of course,” said Daniel. “It would have to be.”
“The mummies feel at home in London because it contains so many museums,” said Edward. “All of them positively stuffed with the spoils of Empire and the treasures of conquest. There’s more evidence of the mummies’ ancient past here than in the whole of Egypt. But like all the monster Clans, really it comes down to tradition. All the Clan gatherings take place at the same time every year, because tradition is all the Clans have to give themselves a sense of history.”
“I’m amazed the mummies haven’t postponed it, after what we did to the Frankensteins and the vampires,” said Tina.
“That is what the mummies’ security people have been saying,” said Edward. “But the mummies won’t hear of it. Because it might make them looked scared—or worse still, weak. They have added quite unprecedented levels of protection, but nowhere near enough to prevent such talented field agents as yourselves from paying them a little visit later on tonight, and shutting the Clan down once and for all.”
“No,” said Daniel.
Edward glared at him. “What do you mean, no?”
“Tina and I have destroyed two monster Clans just days apart,” said Daniel. “And came very close to being killed on each occasion. Going for a third attack so quickly would be really pushing our luck. Why can’t some of your other field agents help us out?.”
He looked at Tina, expecting her to back him up. She’d agreed with him one hundred percent when he raised the idea in her apartment. But now she just sat where she was and said nothing.
“We need backup,” said Daniel.
“All my other agents are busy.”
Daniel had to raise an eyebrow at that. “Doing what?”
“Taking care of the advance planning, to make what you do possible,” said Edward. “And then cleaning up afterward, so no one suspects you were ever there.”
Daniel frowned. “I thought that was what the support staff were for?”
“There are some things only a Hyde can do,” said Edward. “That only a Hyde would have the stomach for.”
Daniel looked at Tina, but she was deliberately avoiding his gaze. Reluctantly, Daniel turned back to Edward.
“All right . . . Where are we supposed to look for this gathering of sarcophagus-dodgers?”
“And how big a gathering are we talking about?” said Tina, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation. “Something on the same scale as the Frankensteins and the vampires?”
“Are we going to need another bomb?” Daniel said bluntly.
Edward pretended to be shocked. “Given that the gathering is being held inside the British Museum, I should hope not. Blow up a national treasure? The very idea . . . Fortunately, the Clan itself is surprisingly small. Just nine mummies, kept alive long after their time by drugs no one but them understands.
“The mummies like to boast that the ancient Egyptians invented chemistry, or alchemy if you prefer. That’s how they’re able to dominate their market—because they create and supply drugs that no one else can match. If you want what they’ve got, you have to go to them. Of course, once you put control of your life into their bandaged hands, you shouldn’t be surprised if they abuse that trust. Just one of the reasons why the Clan of Mummies is the most successful crime organization in the world.”
“Then why have I never heard of them?” said Daniel. “I used to be a cop. I thought I knew all about the London drugs scene.”
“You didn’t know because you didn’t move in the right circles,” said Edward. “The mummies supply special drugs for special people, because only the elite can afford what it takes to make them feel like gods. But once you start taking the mummies’ drugs you have to go on taking them, because if you don’t . . . you’ll die.”
Daniel nodded grimly. “And of course once you’re addicted, the price just goes up and up.”
Edward smiled happily at Daniel. “I do so love to see the moral outrage in your eyes, Daniel. The way it motivates you to get the job done, no matter what the risk. Dear Tina is an excellent field agent, but she lacks your drive.”
Daniel looked at him thoughtfully. “Why do the mummies need money?”
“To fund their researches. They’re still searching for the drug that will give them true immortality so they can walk the world freely, instead of being trapped inside withered little bodies wrapped in miles of specially treated bandages. Now . . . this mission will be a little different. You don’t have to kill everyone in the organization; in fact, I would very much prefer it if you didn’t. All you have to do is kill the nine mummies. Cut off the organization’s head, so my people can step in and take over. I’ve always had an interest in chemicals.”
“Hold everything and stamp on the brakes,” said Daniel. “You want to continue what the Clan of Mummies has been doing?”
“Unfortunately, the drugs they’ve created will die with them,” said Edward. “Because only the mummies know the formulas. My people will steer the organization into more standard pharmaceuticals. Don’t look so shocked, Daniel. You’re not a police officer anymore, you’re a Hyde. And addicts will always be with us—isn’t that right, Tina?”
“The weak will always be weak,” said Tina. “And the strong will always dominate them. It’s the way of the world.”
“Exactly! And spoken like a true Hyde,” said Edward. He leaned forward across his desk. “This evening, the mummies will be holding court in one of the Egyptian Rooms. You won’t have to worry about innocent bystanders, because the rest of the Museum will be closed all night, officially for essential cleaning and repair work. Fortunately, my inside man found a way for you to enter the Museum unnoticed by any of the guards.”
“Okay . . . now it’s my turn to say hold it and shoot the horses,” said Tina. “What guards?”