Victorian Undead: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jekyll and Hyde #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of December, 2010.
Synopsis for "Victorian Undead: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jekyll and Hyde"
It is 1899, nine months since Professor Moriarty's failure to infect London with an undead outbreak, London is in the process of rebuilding itself from the conflagration which eradicated the undead. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson resume their lives at a rebuilt 221B Baker Street. Watson points out to Holmes that they are trying to regain their stipend; however, Holmes has turned down three previous cases as they are not worthy enough to be solve. But their recent caller shows promise: Gabriel John Utterson.
Utterson, a man needed for utmost concern, tells Holmes and Watson that he is a friend and family lawyer of the alienist Dr. Henry Jekyll. Fearing that Jekyll's own mind is in jeopardy, Utterson explains that Jekyll was always intense due to the nature of his work, but has now retreated from the world altogether. He hadn't seen Jekyll for many months until he was recently informed by the police that a rough individual was caught trying to cash a cheque for one hundred pounds. It had been made out by Dr. Jekyll, which leads Utterson to believe that his friend is being blackmailed. Utterson's concerns were compounded when he learned that the blackmailer's young daughter had been brutally murdered several nights before. It is suspected by the police that Jekyll could be the murderer, but his butler Poole and the rest of the staff confirmed Jekyll had not left the house in months. Finally, Utterson went to see Jekyll himself on the previous night. Upon arriving at Jekyll's home with Poole, Utterson was dismissed by a voice which he doesn't recognize. Both Utterson and Poole were none the wiser as to know of anyone who could have entered or left the property without Jekyll's seeing. But they then saw a very frightening shadow seen on the window of Jekyll's laboratory.
Both Holmes and Watson travel to New Scotland Yard where they are directed by Inspector Lestrade to the morgue to see the murder victim, identified as Millicent Osborne, a matchstick girl. They are both shocked at the given physical state of Millicent's death as if she was being savaged. Lestrade explains that Osborne was among the children under the auspice of their Fagin-figure father Jonas Osborne, who is under arrest, and has been making close to six hundred pounds that is more than enough to kill for. Holmes cast off the cause of death as a criminal reprisal as he judges the wounds on Millicent as being subject to a revenant. Although the last of Moriarty's undead were eliminated since the burning of London. Lestrade also points out that Millicent was blunted with a house brick. Holmes examines Millicent's arm on which there are fibres beneath her fingernails and judges that she clawed at her attacker. He then smells something from Millicent's arm which he ask Watson to smell it, which the doctor identifies the scent as a preservative, a formaldehyde or a derivative not uncommonly used for embalming. However, Holmes notes the fact that Millicent has not yet been treated. He then ask Lestrade to see Jonas Osborne. He and Watson find Osborne a broken man grieving over the loss of his daughter which Holmes came to see where he cashed the cheque. Seeing that it is inappropriate to see Osborn, Holmes decides to see the writer of the cheque instead, Dr. Jekyll.
At Dr. Jekyll's residence, Jekyll is busy in his work and is reticent to be interview by Holmes and Watson. Jekyll states that he cannot leave his house and his work as he is finding a means to stabilize the human mind without recourse to intrusive surgery or gross incarceration. When Holmes asks about the cheque he sent to Osborn, Jekyll claims that he was moved by the tragedy and sent Poole to their house with the money to ease their suffering. Holmes then notice how he knows of Osborn's address to which Jekyll responds that the newspaper gave the area and that it was a case of asking around. Jekyll also denies that there is anything incriminating in repenting Osborn. Holmes then asks about Jekyll's assistant, Edward Hyde, who he was informed of by Utterson. Jekyll states that Hyde is not actually an assistant, but an occasional helper with the "heavy work". During the interview, Holmes notice that there are scar marks on Jekyll's arms which are kept covered by his gloves. Jekyll directs Holmes and Watson to leave him to resume his work. As Holmes and Watson exit the building, Holmes asks Poole of how long Edward Hyde had work for Jekyll in which Poole, visibly unnerved, explains that he doesn't know him. Holmes then asks Watson of what to make of Hyde which Watson could tell that Hyde could be Jekyll's patient and a psychiatric case study which led him to killed the child. Explaining Jekyll's nervous disposition and especially the smell of preservatives at his room which is the same from the hospital, this lead Holmes to interrogate his last party: dead blue bottle flies which he apprehend at Jekyll's desk.
Back at 221B Baker Street, Holmes and Watson examine the flies, who are known carrion, to have died from ingesting lethal formaldehyde. They find traces of necrotic human tissue and Watson exclaims that all corpses have to be surrendered to the authorities for cremation. Watson concludes that Hyde must be a revenant that was under Jekyll's possession and that he had escaped and killed Millicent; Jekyll must have recaptured Hyde and mutilated the girl so she couldn't rise again. Just then, Mrs. Hudson informs them that Utterson has just telephoned and urgently needed them at Dr. Jekyll's residence.
Holmes and Watson arrive at Jekyll's residence and meet Utterson and Poole, who lead them to Jekyll's laboratory and find it in a chaotic mess. Utterson explains that Poole had called him twenty minutes ago, rather than the police, after the butler heard a riotous noise coming from the laboratory. Holmes finds a turned over chair and inspects it. It was bolted to the floor and draped with torn ropes as if the sitter had been restrained. He has Watson mark a rope, on which he finds decaying flesh. Holmes then finally conclude on why Jekyll was wearing gloves earlier-to hide his inflicted wounds, and that Jekyll doesn't has a captive revenant but rather that he is the revenant. He further suspects there is more to that and then finds a case of used-up hypodermic needles. Holmes tells Utterson to contact Inspector Lestrade to bring men and arms while he and Watson try to find Jekyll.
They eventually locate Jekyll, finding him eating a dead bystander. Holmes identifies him as Edward Hyde which catches his attention. Watson shoots Hyde, but only to be quickly disarm and subdue by him. Hyde grabs Holmes by the neck, telling him that he has been caged inside Jekyll's mind until the hunger drove his alter-ego to release him. He further tells that Millicent was the first victim he had feasted upon as Jekyll was always careful in covering his tracks. Jekyll was weak and feared the day he couldn't control Hyde in which Holmes' investigation insured that. Holmes quickly grabs a hypodermic needle from his pocket and injects its contents into Hyde's neck. This causes Hyde to regress back into Jekyll, who regains his senses and begs to be kill as the serum won't subdue Hyde for long. Holmes demands to know if the serum is what retains his consciousness after death and what he knows.
Jekyll explains that due to his overbearing work he suffered a nervous collapse which led to a split personality that created Edward Hyde, a wretched libertine devoid of morals or conscience. He tried to rein in Hyde by discovering a Limehouse herbalist who can help him, and within in a year he was himself again. During the undead outbreak, Jekyll was returning a fresh supply when he was attacked and bitten by an undead. He hadn't the courage to end his own life, but he didn't turn and the infection spread to Hyde instead. With Limehouse gone, consumed by the fire, he rationed out his supply and diluting it with other palliatives to contain Hyde. When it became apparent that he couldn't contain his alter-ego, he restrained himself whenever Hyde broke free. But it wasn't enough and he had done horrific things to keep Hyde satiated. As Jekyll finish his story, he tells Holmes and Watson that Hyde is coming and begs them to kill him now. They comply with his request and Watson shoots him in the head.
Holmes holds Jekyll's serum and decides to keep whatever left of it to analyze. Watson is surprised by this as he is withholding evidence, which Holmes professes that he is keeping it for the time being and wishes it to be kept from falling into the wrong hands. When Watson asks to whom those hands might be, Holmes cryptically answers: "Who indeed, Watson, who indeed?!"
Appearing in "Victorian Undead: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jekyll and Hyde"
Featured Characters:
- Sherlock Holmes
- Dr. John Watson
Supporting Characters:
- Gabriel John Utterson
- Poole
- Inspector Lestrade
Villains:
- Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde
Other Characters:
- Jonas Osborne
- Millicent Osborne
- Mrs. Hudson
Locations:
- 221B Baker Street
- New Scotland Yard
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also