(A/N: 12/28/08 – I did a little revamping with this chapter. The same will be said of chapter 2 when I finish with it.)
(A/N: 07/23/08 - I know. I know. I keep messing with Chapter 1. Mostly the author's notes. And the summary sounds so much better now! Yay.)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime/Romance/Supernatural/Drama/Humor (That's a lot of genres. o.O )
Warnings: For now, just language.
My Rant:
My first Hellboy Fanfic. Be gentle. –cringes-
The character, Nina Rogers, belongs to me. As for the rest in this chapter? They all belong to Mignola the Great.
I have pretty much no knowledge of the comic-verse and have yet to see the second movie. (So, if you're looking for a story based on those, you won't find references to it in mine (except maybe some about Abe's past). Sorry.)
There is a possibility of romance seeping its way in. Liz and HB will be following the movie-verse relationship since it's canon. And there might be someone waiting at the end of the tunnel for Abe. We'll see how it goes. Fish-men need love too. And maybe endoplasmic beings, though I can't work the particulars for that. o.O
This chapter has a lot of attempted humor. Bare with me and give it a shot. :)
1- -Special Delivery.-
Children were laughing as they played on the swing sets and jungle gym provided on the soft sands laid out across the park. Couples sitting on benches made of delicately painted wrought iron enjoy the beauty of their surroundings and the beauty of the loved ones they sit with. People are walking and jogging with friends and dogs.
It's a typical weekend sight to see among a buzzing suburb in Jersey.
"Hey! I said stop!"
Huffing under the pressure of constant running, Agent Nina Rogers jumps over a fallen trashcan, throwing herself at the young male with a black briefcase firmly tucked under his arm. She smashes into his back, causing both to skid on the ground face first. The jolt knocks the briefcase out of the man's arms and into the street.
"Let go of me, you stupid bitch!"
Both struggle to gain the upper hand of the situation. Arms and legs a tangled mess. Scratches and punches make their way into soft sides producing the muffled grunts of pain that askew the peace of the park as people look on in shock.
Mothers rush to grab their children, and people back away from the fight afraid to intervene.
"Give it up, kid!"
A swift uppercut to the face sends Nina sprawling back, an unlady-like 'umph' crossing her lips.
"Why you little—," The man cuts her off with a cocky laugh. Shifting back onto her arms, she pulls her legs out and kicks him back.
"You're a pain in the ass, lady."
Nina smirks as her fellow field agents make it on the scene.
"I'm afraid it's the end of the line for you, love."
Her eyes narrow when a loud 'shlink' cuts through the air. The man's right arm rapidly shifts into a sharp, curved metal blade. He swings it back and forth in the air, adjusting to the feel.
"Oh, I'd say the odds are looking pretty good for me. After all, I've escaped more than my share of dumb cops."
Nina bursts into loud laughter at the statement.
"Oh darling, you have no idea do you?"
Her smirk rapidly shifts into a victorious sneer as two female field agents stand at her side.
"This is your last chance, give up peacefully or face the consequences."
Unphased by her words, his face scrunches up as his body tenses, and he makes a leap for Nina, blade at the ready to thrust forward.
Unmoved by his actions, Nina sighs. They always had to make this difficult. Just as his sword-like hand comes within an inch of her face, His body suddenly flies back, ass smacking the ground with a loud slap. The wind knocked out of him, his concentration waver and the arm blade shifts back to a hand.
Nina walks up to him feet mere inches from his and looks down on him condescendingly. "You had your chance."
She shifts her head to the side addressing her colleagues, "Ladies, bag this asshole."
Two "yes, ma'am"s are heard as the agents close in on the suspect.
The man starts to struggled on the grounds, his face strained at his inability to move. "What the—!?" A soft smile crosses Nina's lips as the situation is back under control.
"It's a shame really. How you throw away your potential on petty theft and drugs, Cutlass."
Four agents roughly grab him by the arms and clap him in thick irons. One agent nudges him in the head and tells him to "shut up" as he attempts to mouth off.
Nina turns her back to them, arms clasped behind her.
"James Forsait. By order of the Mutant Criminal Investigative Agency, you are under arrest for your countless dealings in illegal drug trafficking along with the use of your mutant abilities to endanger the safety and livelihood of the public. You will be place under the confines of the government sans trial."
Shifting her head to the left, she nods to the agents. "Take him to the special holding facilities. Make sure you use titanium casings on his hands. We don't want to chance it."
"Yes Ma'am."
Cutlass starts to struggle as they begin to drag him away. "What the hell kind of arrest is this!? Where is my reading of the rights!? I want due process! I want a lawyer!" He shouts at her.
A slight frown hits her as she looks at him.
"I am sorry, Mr. Forsait, but by direction of the Government, you no longer have any rights. In this day and age, mutants don't have the luxury of civil rights once they've committed a crime with the use of their powers."
His face falters and she cannot help but feel a bit sad for the man in front of her.
"I would suggest making this as easy on your self as possible. Don't resist, cooperate and maybe it will keep you from being grouped with the more violent of criminals."
With nothing else to say, they take him away.
A few agents stayed behind to await further instruction. Nina sighs as she looks out at the innocents staring at her and the others on site.
"Alright, Alice I want you to erase their memories. The last thing I need is a large group of people casting their account of the incident on the 6 o'clock news."
She nods and starts walking over to where the majority of the crowd is standing trying to gather their attention.
Nina crosses her arms over her chest and closes her eyes. A small sigh escapes her lips.
"The rest of you, please make sure none of them try to sneak off. I know she can trace all of the witnesses, but try to make it as easy as possible for her. It's pretty taxing on her abilities."
Quick yes ma'ams and foot steps follow as they spread out across the park.
She turns away and walks over to the street, picking up the briefcase from earlier.
"Oi—what a day."
-M.C.I.A. Headquarters – Jersey/New York City Division-
"Agent Rogers."
Nina looks up from her desk tapping files upright and trying to straighten them together as smile flits across her face.
"Director, is there something I can do for you?"
They both share a knowing look.
"Nina, when have I ever left that hole of an office without a need for something?"
Her little smile shifts into a full blown vision of pearly whites. "Good point."
"I need a very dependable person to deliver these over to the FBI."
Nina's face falls flat into a frown as soon as the "FBI" is mentioned. "Ah," she falters, obvious discomfort in her tone, "I see." She pulls a little at her collar and continues, "What a torturous task to take on. Any possibility that I can make the team draw lots to see who gets to deliver this precious package?"
The director's face takes on an amused look, expecting Nina to bring out her usual antics. "Not a snowball's chance in hell."
Nina can't help but laugh at her comment. It was rare for the boss to manage humor during their brief talks.
The director pulls out a set of files and lays them on her desk.
"These require a very high level of security clearance. And quite frankly you're one of the few that qualify."
Folding her hands together in front of her, Nina rests her chin on top. "Super good, director. Super good. When and where?"
The director gives Nina a strange look at her first statement, but continues on anyway. "No greater time than the present. It needs to be taken to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense."
Nina smiles, humor apparent in her eyes. "Ah yes, the, as Dr. Manning stated, 'non-existent' sector of the FBI." She gleefully makes quotation signs with her hands at the use of "non-existent". She had managed to catch his little speech on national television about that particular department. Accounts of the blunder were all over the news for a whole week. A sense of glee had broken out in her when she learned of his situation. Cover ups were always his specialty, the man could lie without a blink of remorse. So serious too. She always itched to find a reason to tease the man. After all, his blunders were few and far between. Her director's next words broke through her reverie.
"Yes, deliver them there. More specifically, deliver them to Dr. Manning."
Nina's face clouds over at the mention of that. "Ah—Manning actually works in that specific department now?" Realization that he was actually in charge of said department left a sinking feeling in her gut. She knew that he had changed positions again, but she had not realized he was covering up his own department. She just always presumed he was cleaning up some other department head's mess.
The director gives her a sympathetic look. "Yeah."
Nina shakes her head and gives the director a reassuring smile. "You really are sending me into the heart of the fire." She looks straight ahead, her lips thinning into a hard line. "Don't worry, I'll have it taken care of."
-The Newark, New Jersey Sanitation Facility a.k.a. Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense-
A black sedan rolls up onto the short driveway in front of a secure gate. The air is stuffy and the sky looks dismal. The area screamed dull and boring,
The soft whirring of the engine came to a halt. The door swung open and Nina hauled herself out of the car and over to the rusty looking call pad located on a concrete wall connected with the gate.
Her gloved finger pushed the button next to a number "203" and sighed.
A second later, the scratchy noise of an outdated speaker reaches her ears along with a gruff and rather pushy voice.
"Whad'you want!?"
"Mm," She pauses slightly at the rude tone in the man's voice. "Nina Rogers, MCIA. I'm here for old man, Manning."
A retinal scanner suddenly pops out of the call pad, fastening itself onto her right eye and taking her reading. She blinks back from the double puff of air pumped at the pupil. Crinkling her nose, she gives out a caustic remark, "And it's only our first date."
The gentleman over the speaker gives an apologetic laugh and mumbles out, "sorry, miss."
Attention returning to the screen, it bleeps and her picture and identification number are splashed on the display. Nina's face scrunches, clearly displeased. "I really need to update that photo." Memories of the photo before that sent a feeling of dread throughout her. What was she thinking, going for the 80s teased look. The picture had been so hideous, half her hair was cut off it was so puffy.
A noise goes off from the gate as it 'shlinks' giving access to the path leading in. Pulling herself back into the car, she drives around the lit pillar and to the front of the building.
Her feet make a little 'pitter patter' sound as she makes her way up the steps, light on her feet. She stops at the door and looks up at the looming building, the cold air causing her breath to come out like puffs of smoke. "—into the fire indeed, Director."
Pushing hard against the heavy doors, she stumbles into the quiet facility. She makes her way towards a corner and pokes her head past it. "Hello?"
A man dressed in a snazzy uniform stands domineeringly over at the end of the hall. Nina swallows and pulls down on the front of her coat, straightening out any wrinkles. Stepping out from the wall, she heads towards the man, papers firmly grasped in hand.
"Afternoon, I'm here to see Dr. Manning?"
"I know. We're expecting you."
The slightly raised height and commanding voice made the man seem condescending. She couldn't help but feel a little irked by his seriousness.
"Please, watch your hands and elbows."
Her eyebrow rises at the remark. "Huh?"
With a slight screech and jolt, the large crest underneath her detaches from the rest of the floor. She recovers from the sudden movement.
"Oh. Thanks."
Just as it's about to lower her out of sight, she looks up at the man and winks. "By the way, cute hat."
She disappears under the floor before she can see his reaction.
The lift slowly makes its way down, passing windows with offices. Glancing around, she cannot help but wonder how long this little ride is going to take. Judging by the lack of speed on this thing, she expects dinner will have come and gone by the time she gets out of here.
Just as she's about to sit down and rest her legs, the sound of air pressure being released from the breaks attached to the lift alert her of it stopping. The panel makes a stop in a small room with a large 51 etched into the concrete wall and one set of fancy golden double doors sitting next to it. Letting out a puff of air that flipped her bangs up, she steps off the panel and to the door. With only a slight pause, she grabs the handles and swings the doors open in a dramatic gesture and waltzes into the room. In a raised voice, she shouts, "I have arrived!"
Her hands wave upward in a grand gesture and she makes a ridiculously fancy pose. She continues to stand that way, waiting for a comment. With none forthcoming, she blinks and pulls out of the pose. Looking around, she spots a young woman in a short haircut on the couch, book in hand and staring at her completely speechless. It takes Nina a second but recognition overcomes her face.
"Lizzy?"
The girl's face lights up and she jumps up from the seat. "Nina!" Walking over to the girl, they meet halfway and embrace. Lizzy looks up at her, a smile evident on her face. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"
Nina flashes a smile. "Oh, you know, the usual. Terrorizing the world, bringing people out of their complacency with my obnoxious remarks and the occasional embarrassing joke that gets me thrown out of a bar or three."
Lizzy laughs at the comment. Her lip quirks up and she gives Nina a knowing look. "You haven't changed a bit."
Nina provides her a charming smile. "You wouldn't have me any other way." Waving her hand in nonchalance, she continues on, "Anywho, how have you been, my dear? Any improvements?"
Lizzy's face softens and her eyes light up. "Yes, actually. I've been getting better at controlling it. And things have been so good for me. I'm seeing this great guy—."
"Oh, ho ho! Are you now? How I envy." She nudges Lizzy in the side with her elbow and winks.
Lizzy rubs her side and blushes. "Yeah, it's really nice."
Nina grasps the girl's shoulder and genuinely smiles. "I'm really happy for you."
She takes a step back and crosses her arms. "Now, as for your powers. Give me an update. What kind of improvements are we talking here? The "I don't blow things up as much now"? or more of a "I'm gonna smote your ass if you touch that last piece of cake?"
Lizzy continues to smile but this time with her eyebrows raised in an awkward way. "Um, I'd say a definite yes on the first, but not so much on the second? I can somewhat throw fiery projectiles, but sometimes they're a little off."
Nina raises one arm to rub her chin thoughtfully and looks skyward.
"Ah, accuracy issues. That shouldn't be a problem for too long. Or so the professor had said, and as we know, he's rarely ever wrong." She looks back down at Lizzy with an assuring glance. "Besides, you're a quick learner."
Lizzy smiles, a sense of hope filling her.
"You know, Lizzy," Nina pauses as her face turns serious, "If you were a guy, I'd totally ask if you could learn to blow fire out of your ass. What a show that would be. Plenty of people would pay to see and we'd never have to worry about department funding ever again."
Lizzy bursts into laughter, clutching her stomach at the intensity of it.
Just then, a slightly loud commotion is heard coming towards another set of doors, and suddenly a crew of men burst through. Nina's eyes widen slightly at the tall and very red man trailing in after them, a rather angry look on his face. Hearing a voice from the past, she cracks a smile border-lining insane.
"Oh! Looks like the debutant has finally arrived! You always were fashionably late, Tom"
"Aww…shit!"
Nina smirks at the comment. "Good to see you too."
Off to the side, Lizzy is still laughing, trying hard to get it under control but failing miserably.
Manning stares at her, "What's wrong with you?"
Nina covers her mouth as she lets out a laugh. "Oh sorry, I made one of my ghastly remarks about her abilities."
The large, red man stiffens and his glare shifts from Manning to Nina. Lizzy notices and immediately sobers. "It was rather hilarious. No need to get defensive, big guy." She smiles at him sincerely and he relaxes.
"Care to introduce me?" Nina raises her eyebrow at Lizzy expectantly.
"Oh! Sorry. Yeah, HB this is Nina Rogers of the--". Liz looks to Nina unsure of what comes next.
Nina cuts in, knowing that she'd have some explaining to do with Liz later on. "Mutant Criminal Investigative Agency".
Liz nods in affirmation and continues, "Yeah. She stayed with me a short time at one of the facilities I used to live at. And Nina, "She gestures at HB, "This is Hellboy."
Nina walks over and holds out her right hand. "Nice to meet you."
HB smirks and pulls his stone hand out. Her eyes widen as Nina pauses at the sight of the size difference.
"Oh my." Blinking, she throws a look back at Lizzy and smiles deviously. "Please tell me this is the guy you were talking about earlier. If not, I'll call you crazy and take him for myself!"
Hell Boy's eyebrow rises questioningly and looks over at Lizzy who is currently sputtering.
Annoyed with the conversation, Manning walks over to Nina and huffs. "Is there a reason why you're here, Agent Rogers?"
"My, so formal, my love."
"Don't call me that."
"Whatever you say, shnookums."
"I hate you."
Nina laughs and holds the files up in front of his face. "I was sent to give you these" Just as he is about to ask a question she cuts him off. "Don't know what they are, so don't ask. Just read 'em."
Manning snatches the files out of her hands and walks over to a desk set off to the side. Pulling them open, he starts to glance at a few of the files. "Did you make your way over here without much trouble?"
A loud 'pffft' escapes Nina's lips as she rolls her eyes. "Are you kidding me? I had one hell of a time making my way out here with just this tiny slip of a paper about "waste management facilities" and "BPRD". There wasn't even an address. The dolt who gave me the slip needs to work on his searching skills. I hate it when I wind up doing someone else's job. I got lost about 4 or 5 times on my way over here. OnStar is crap." Nina absently waves her hand. "I should've gone with TomTom but nooo! The guys wanted to take directions from the "sexy lady"." She scoffs at the notion. "Those boys seriously need to get laid if they rely on a female voice recording to get off."
Manning fathoms a smirk at her dialogue. Lizzy's and HB's faces amused by her strange antics.
Nina walks over and crashes on the couch. "Well, I hope ya'll don't mind the extra company. I fear the Director expects something back from you, and I'll be the carrier. You know how she gets sometimes." For a second, Nina and Manning share a knowing look.
Grabbing the files, Manning heads for the door. "I'll go over the reports in my office." He stops and turns to her. "Try not to wander."
Nina gives him a sick, sweet smile and raises one hand to give a short wave. "Buh bye."
Once the door closes, Nina relaxes further into the couch and sighs, closing her eyes.
She feels the space next to her sink in. "So," Lizzy inquires, "you seem to know the boss pretty well." With arms raised and crossed over her head, she cracks one eye open and looks at both Lizzy and HB. "Mm—we used to date."
Lizzy chokes on a cough and HB manages an uncomfortable grimace.
Nina bursts into laughter. "Ah yes, the exact face I make when I think back on it. But it wasn't always so bad. He was a lot younger when I was with him." Nina's face falters slightly. "But apparently someone pulled the plug on his looks."
Nina sits up. "It's been many years since I've seen him face to face. I did manage to catch him on the tube a few times, but other than that our contact pretty much dried up. Don't regret it much either. Woo man, we'd have some really bad fights from time to time." An awkward pause fills the room, Nina reminiscing on her own words. Lizzy touches her arm and she snaps out of it.
"Anywho," She slaps her hands on her knees and stands up with a smile. "How about a tour?
"Sure." Lizzy smiles and loops her arm in Nina's.
HB walks over to the glass window panes, "You're going to have to do this without me." Hell Boy not the least bit disappointed in missing out. "I'm waiting on Blue."
Lizzy nods, "Right. C'mon Nina."
Walking through the door, arm in arm they make their way into the vast halls of the Bureau.
They're silent as they pass through, Liz occasionally pointing things out.
"So," Nina says, "Who's Blue?"
Just as Lizzy is about to reply, the door next to them bursts open and a man bumps into Liz, causing Nina to stumble as well.
"Sorry!"
A few papers now lay scattered across the floor.
Both Liz and the man crouch down to gather them up.
Upon standing, the man smiles and takes the papers as they're handed back. "Thanks Liz."
She smiles in return. "No problem."
A small "Ahem" interrupts them as Nina stands there waiting for an introduction.
Liz makes an awkward face and then her eyes widen as she realizes what Nina's asking. "Oh! Sorry. John, this is Nina Rogers. And Nina, this is Agent John Myers. He works closely with us on cases."
They both shake hands and nod their heads in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Myers."
"Same." A distinct pause and John clasps the papers tighter in his hands. "Sorry to cut our greetings short, but I've gotta go meet up with HB."
Liz turns towards Hell Boy's location and nods in said direction. "He's over in the library."
John starts to walk quickly down the hall and shouts over his shoulder. "Thanks! Nice meeting you, Nina!"
With a smile plastered on her face, Nina loops her arm back with Lizzy's. "Shall we continue?"
Nodding in amusement, Liz continues with the tour.
About an hour passes and both women wind up in Liz's room catching up on things.
"So let me get this straight. You basically hunt down super humans with criminal records?"
Nina continues to file her nail as she lounges on a fluffy chair located in the corner of Lizzy's room. "Pretty much. We're like super cops. Not much different from what you seem to be doing."
Liz nods in slight understanding. She sits on her bed, one leg dangling off the edge. "But, why are the BPRD and MCIA completely separated? It seems more efficient to have us all be working together."
Nina shakes her head. "Well, there is a distinct difference between what we both do. You hunt down the supernatural. I hunt down mutants."
Liz's face shifts into a confused look.
"But aren't mutants supernatural?"
Nina nods, "In a basic definition, yes. But when you get a little more technical, they become very different. You deal with beings that are thought to be mythological and are slightly obscure to common human knowledge. You get your information from the occult. While mutants are pretty much all humans born with the labeled X-Gene, It's like they're in a category of their own. They don't go around summoning hell beasts from some other dimension. They aren't popping out of gates to the underworld or anything. They're just regular people with a little extra power. My job is to stop those who harness their power to commit crimes. We're still working on easing the knowledge of mutant existence to the public. Not very easy. In a few cases, it was like the Salem Witch Hunts all over again."
Liz nods in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that happening."
A pause in their conversation gives Nina a little time to ruminate over the afternoon's happenings. A slight nagging feeling hovered over her as she recalled their previous conversation, remembering that she still didn't know who this 'blue' person was. Liz had told her about HB occasionally being call "Red", but who is his colored counterpart? Deciding now was a good time, she brought the matter up once again.
"So, anyways, about this Blue guy—,"
Suddenly, a red light starts flashing in Lizzy's room and the loud blaring of the claxon startles them both.
"What the hell!?" Nina looks to Lizzy for an explanation. "Is this a fire drill?"
Liz laughs as she grabs her hand and drags her out the door. "No, it's a mission. Come on!" They both start running down the hall.
At the sound of the claxon, Liz comes hurdling through the doors eager to find out what is terrorizing the Jersey streets this time. Nina comes stumbling in behind her, slightly out of breath.
Excitement gleams in Liz's eyes as she awaits the briefing.
"I hope this isn't another false alarm ending with us in a room reserved for monthly drag queen bingo. I know Abe became the star of the party, but isn't it a little too soon for another round?"
"That is not the least bit humorous." The slightly aggravated voice rang out from across the room.
Nina's head followed and she paused at the site before her. She'd never seen such a ridiculous outfit. Covering her mouth, she tries not to laugh at the contraption adorning the neck of what she assumed was a man. A very blue skinned man. She couldn't help but think she was trapped in a game of red vs. blue between the sight of this guy and Hellboy.
When the whole room erupts into laughter, Nina is brought out of her reverie. The indignant look on his face tells her that Liz's jibes were still flowing.
A slight lilt is in Liz's walk as she heads farther into the room. She sends him a little smile, still hyper at the aspect of a mission. "I beg to differ."
Manning manages to make another dramatic entrance as the golden doors burst open and he comes striding into the room with a scowl set in.
"Now why couldn't I have this crowd when I made my grand entrance?"
Manning gives her an "are you stupid?" look before addressing the group.
"We've got a call in at the Tepper Galleries Auction House. I need everybody to suit up. It's a bit of a drive, so I'll explain the details on the way. Let's move, people!"
Everyone starts to exit the library, moving as quickly as possible. Manning marches over to Abe and places a hand on his shoulder. "Not you."
Abe looks up in confusion. "What?"
"You need to stay put. You're still recovering from the last mission."
"But—," He tries to protest.
"No. You're staying." Without another word, Manning leaves.
Liz walks up to him and gives him a quick hug. "You know he's right. You need to recover. Don't worry. I'll watch Red's back while we're gone." She gives him a reassuring smile and takes off. Hell Boy nods,
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be ready by the next assignment." He turns and follows after Liz.
The last of the agents leave and a soft click reverberates through the room.
Abe continues to stare at the door with his shoulders slightly slumped.
Nina sighs, causing Abe to face her, completely unaware that someone was still in the room with him.
Mockingly she states, "See you later, Nina. We'll catch up later. Nice seeing you again. Jeez, not even a goodbye. Just gone. Poof. Out the door."
Abe turns his head to the side and observes her. "Excuse me. But who are you?"
Nina gives him a little smile and walks over, hand extended. "Special Agent Nina Rogers." Abe reaches out for her hand and opens his mouth to reply, but she beats him to it. "And you—must be the elusive "Blue."
Nina is entranced by the feel of his skin, the texture rousing her curiosity. Never had she felt anything like it. It was similar to the scaly forms of most sea creatures, but it was somehow different. Her interest was indeed piqued.
She's a little thrown off as she suddenly feels his hand tighten ever so slightly, and looks up to see his face shift from intense to confused.
Abe is miffed at his failed attempt to read her. For some reason his psychometry isn't working.
Blinking at her, he raises his hands in what Nina can only describe as a grand, fluid gesture. "Why do you claim me to be elusive?" he continues on, attempting to cover his befuddled state with a question to her earlier statement.
"Oh," Nina waves her hands in front of her, "every time I asked who "Blue" was someone or something always diverted attention away from the question.
Nina had earlier felt the strange pull from her sensor device and looks up at Abe. "You're telepathic."It was more of a statement rather than a question. She could tell he was from the device alone. A dear friend of hers had developed it to help protect agents from any hostiles with telepathy. Mind reading made it too easy for any one of them to extract viable information from an agent.
Abe nodded ever so slightly at her remark. "I possess the ability to read people, objects and see their past or future."
Nina smiles. "Seems pretty handy."
"Yes, it is." He hesitates for a second, miffed by her perceptiveness. "How exactly did you know?"
Nina gives him a gentle smile, "In my line of work, telepathy is no stranger. Our department provides the proper tools to help us both detect and repulse telepaths."
He nods in affirmation, "I see."
And that ended that part of the conversation, leaving both in silence.
Nina touches her chin with an index finger as her other arm grasps her elbow. Contemplation crossing her features. Head tilting slightly to the right, she observes him. "Forgive me for being so frank, but what exactly are you, Mr—uh?"
"Abraham Sapien, but you may call me, Abe," He interjected. "As for your question, I am an Ichthyo-Sapien."
Dipping into her small pot of knowledge in Biology and Latin, she translates the meaning and tilts her head the other way making a disappointed face. "Hmmm, I was hoping for a more gripping tale, but I guess "I'm a fish man" will do."
Abe blanks at her statement and she laughs at the odd look he gives her.
"Sorry. I'm as strange as they come, Mr. Sapien."
"Please, call me Abe."
"If I call you Abester, will you be annoyed?"
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
Her laughter filled the room. She never could help herself when it came to pinching someone's nerves. It's never so much making them angry as it is seeing some sort of reaction, especially from the more stoic of society. That's why pushing Manning's buttons entertained her so. He could be a block of ice sometimes, and she always could bring out the funniest reactions from him. Just as with Lizzy and her director, etcetera. Abe was almost no different. His reaction not being quite what she had hoped for, but enough to suffice.
She could feel his gaze scrutinizing her, it always made her a bit self conscious to have people stare. After all, having a run in with Nina Rogers for the first time is just a rigamarole. It's almost natural to wonder, but it doesn't mean she has to like it.
She sends him a little quirk up of the lips and turns her eyes away from his stare. Observing the contents of the library, she begins to fidget with the books haphazardly scattered across a desk.
Might as well start some form of conversation before his stare melts me into the ground.
Slowly, she flips through some pages, intrigued by the illustrations on each page. "It's pretty fascinating." Another page is turned as it makes a 'flick' sound in the still room. "All of these years of mythology, folklore, you name it, and some aspects of it turn out to be true."
Abe walks over to her and looks at the pages as well. "Yes, I find it all very intriguing. I enjoy studying the different cultures and making connections between certain entities. For example," He picks up a book and flips through the pages. Stopping at the one he was in search of, he places the book in front of Nina and points to an illustration. "This is a—,"
Nina takes notice of the creature composed of goat, lion and serpent and finishes his sentence. "Chimera."
He stares at her for a second and nods in confirmation. She smiles up at him and touches her hand to her face, eyes upward in a thoughtful expression. "The features of two or more different species all combined into one being."
He blinks. "Yes, that's right."
She can see his astounded look at her 'textbook' definition and for some strange reason feels obligated to explain. "Ah, I have a little sister."
Ever so lightly, she uses her hand that's still resting upon the table to softly caress the pages of the book before her. "She has an adamant obsession with mythology, mostly that of Greek and Roman." Nina can all but barely repress the giggles itching to set free from her throat. "Almost every night she calls me, reading some section out of her latest book that she's bought or been gifted. I swear, I've probably got more mythological knowledge in me than is healthy."
"Did you know," She says, resting her finger on her chin, "The earliest, surviving document of a chimera is from Homer's Iliad. Many of those creatures were believed to be the offspring of Typhon and Echidna."
Abe tilts his head to the side. "I commend you on your knowledge , Ms. Nina. It appears your sister taught you well."
Nina lays on a bright smile. "Thanks. I have a little interest in Chimera ever since she told me about them. Some of the pictures she has in her little collection are quite fascinating."
"Well, then you actually might enjoy this little bit of information." Walking around the other side of the desk, he opens a drawer and pulls out a small booklet a hint of excitement in his actions. "I've recently discovered some old scripts found back in the late 15th century." He opens said book in a delicate manner, mindful of the yellowed pages. "I managed to locate this small journal written by a young man of European decent who stumbled upon those documents. He managed to duplicate most of the writings and pictures, and a few of the originals were salvaged as well." Finding a page he approved of, he shows her a picture of a vast wooded area with a chimera hunched in the center of a clearing.
Nina leans forward and touches the page. "Oh wow. That's some serious art skill."
"My sentiments exactly."
Flipping to another page, he points to a paragraph."It appears the scripts state that many sightings of these creatures were seen throughout history. It's as if the ones who originally wrote these scriptures were keeping a record of witnesses through the centuries. Over two thousand years of data on the chimera. Such a rare find."
Nina begins to flip through the pages, admiring the many pictures. "That's amazing. Two thousand years! Most are lucky to find a minute's worth of some event in time." She stops on a page with a strange symbol she's never encountered before. "Hmm, what's this?" Turning the book around, she shows it to him.
Where her finger lay, a large symbol lay in the middle of the page, taking up most of its space.
Abe crosses his arm in thought, his face scrunching up in uncertainty."I'm not entirely sure of the purpose of that symbol. From what I could decipher, some witnesses have stated that it was seen on the chimera's ankle. Like a brand or tattoo. There hasn't been any other information on it other than it just being there."
Nina nods her head. "Hm. How very peculiar." She smiles at him and sets the book back down. "Well, I hope you're able to find what you're searching for. If you happen to solve the puzzle, let me know. I'm sure my sister would be delighted to hear such a tale." She winks at him and turns around lightly trotting down the small steps on the floor and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Well, as lovely as this chat is, I'm hoping Manning returns soon. I don't want my boss getting on my back 'cause of him."
"What exactly are you-?" Before Abe can finish, an agent comes running through the door, a phone gripped in his hand.
"Abe, Dr. Manning is on the line for you."
Nina makes a face, "Speak of the devil—."
The agent hands the phone over to Abe and stands by.
Taking the phone, he leans into the receiver and consecutively nods as Manning's muffled voice fills the room.
"Yes, I can look up the information from here. Give me a moment."
Setting the phone down, Abe glances up at the both of us. "I need some help getting my materials." Walking over to the desk, he grabs some paper and starts writing down the reference numbers.
Nina crosses her arms and shrugs, "Figures. I swear that man doesn't change even in his old age. Can't do anything on his own." The agent next to her stifles a laugh, hoping Manning can't hear from this distance.
Nina suddenly jumps at the vibration and loud ringing emerging from her coat pocket. The Peter Gunn theme blaring in the room.
Coughing in embarrassment, she pulls out her phone and flips it open. For a second both men stare at her in amusement, and she can't help but blush at the awkwardness. "It's the boss."
"Excuse me one sec-," She turns away from her audience and rests the phone against her ear. She answers, "You raaaang?"
A slight frown flits across her face and her brow starts to crinkle. "Yeah, got it."
Flipping the phone shut, she heads for the golden doors. "Sorry to bail on you, but looks like ya'll are gonna have to find those books on your own. I've got business to take care of." She nearly trips as she stops, remembering her original task.
"Oh, tell Manning I'll pick the stuff up later? He'll know what I mean." She waves her hand and pulls open the doors. "Nice meeting ya, Abe. Take care." Without waiting for a reply, she walks out.
The golden doors close with a light 'click', both occupants staring in wonder.
"Peculiar," he whispers.
The sudden sound of Manning's shouting brings them back to the task at hand. But before Abe can continue on, he looks back at the doors one last time.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, Abe rips his paper in half and hands one piece to the agent. "You look for these. I'll get the rest."
With that, they both began to peruse the library.
(A/N): A nice soft ending to the chapter rather than a heart wrenching cliffhanger. Hopefully, chapter 2 will have more excitement. :)
Please feel free to give me some insight into the world of Hellboy whether it be about the comic book, movie, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I would also love constructive crit. If you happen to enjoy my story so far, I'm glad you found one you like in the archive. If you don't, then I thank you for reading this far and sorry if you wound up reading the whole chapter. I also hope you find the amazing story you are looking for. O.O
And if you happen to be an artist and have done some Hellboy art, I would love to see it!
I really do hope to see Hellboy II sometime this week.
Anyways, reviews are loved and appreciated. :D