It's a story based on Hellboy/BPRD comics, movies and animated series. I liked the fact that Abe is psychic in movie, so I kept it that way, but besides that he is like in the comics or animated series, so he is not dependable of water to stay alive. Everyone else is mostly comic based as well, Liz and Hellboy have no relationship, but movie stuff does appear occasionally. Mind you, this is not the language I usually write in, so bear with me when I make mistakes.
Playing chess was not my favourite way of passing time. The woman with dark smooth hair pulled back in a messy pony-tail sitting right across off me, constantly had this awful contempt smirk on her face while playing and it made me feel like every move I made was just going to be a complete and utter failure.
Which it eventually always turned out to be.
Her way of thinking was beyond me, a perfect ruthless strategic who could think at least four steps ahead. Liz even liked to occasionally shout: 'Off with his head!' when killing another one of my minions. Normally did young woman was a energetic, but calm friendly person, great in handling difficult situations…chess just brought out the worst in her. Somewhere I held a tiny bit of hope that I would be able to at least be some form of challenge for Elizabeth Sherman here.
I never ever challenged Abe, cause it was a fact that he (though he never cheated with his psychic powers, which made it worse) had never lost a game, except once due to the now late professor Broom...and that happened to be the first time Abe played chess.
As I stared at my four poor remaining cream coloured miniatures - my queen, my king and two rooks- I hoped so badly for an earthquake to shake up the library we were lounging in, granting me a way out of what was going to be another shameful defeat. Hey, it happened once before...although that time the so called earthquake was caused by a giant toad and I had an espresso in my hands...
'Lucky you.' Liz said wryly, just when she was about to slaughter my queen with her black knight (stupid stupid, why didn't I see that?!) and rushed out of the room.
'Hm, wha-?'
Being totally sucked in by the game (same would happen when I watched cartoons) I hardly noticed the red alarm going off in the corridor. Grinning with glee, I stood up with a mellow haste to follow Liz and when putting on my heavy leather coat with an elaborate swirling motion the chequered wooden board was 'accidentally' knocked over .
-
'A museum?' Liz inquired as she focused on the contents of the grey 'classified' dossier in her glove covered hands. Across her sat a disgruntled Hellboy, who gave a snort as an answer while trying to get more comfortable in his small seat.
On his right sat a relaxed slender blue merman, known as Abe, also holding a dossier, looking actually with proper interest at the scrutinizing balding human in a stiff suit in front of him, who was clutching a third grey dossier in his left hand like the bible.
'Not just a museum Miss Sherman, the American museum of Natural History! The guards are missing, its cellar is flooded for whatever reasons and so is the first floor...we think. Think of the damage it's all causing...and more importantly-'
'Manning...Can't it just be leak?' Hellboy questioned, knowing damn well that it was a stupid question.
If Dr. Thomas Manning had any kind of special powers, then the look he gave Hellboy as a reply could have may as well given him frostbite. His superb glaring moment was cut short when the truck stopped without warning and Manning slid of his seat without the least bit of grace. While Hellboy face turned an even deeper red for trying so hard not to burst out in laughter, Abe was courteous enough to help Manning up again.
The driver in a black suit yelled something of an apology and the vehicle started driving again. Liz was able to luckily hide her smile behind her map.
'Right, I am okay- thank you Agent Sapien-'Manning smoothed out his almost non-existing haircut, continuing with a wannabee-stoic voice like nothing happened, but the driver interrupted by explaining, with the same monotone tone, they had arrived.
-
The street was entirely shut off for anyone except off course FBI, BPRD and the Police. These sorts of situations were just perfect for Manning, since he loved to show off his range of power. In front of the building were tons of policemen and several BPRD agents, scrawling around grumpily, trying not to get in each others way. It was immediately clear why the BPRD was needed, since the main entrance was covered with a strange purple glow, which on an average day was not the case...
Agent Modd, another important looking man in a stiff suit and sunglasses, guided the four of them to the Metro station nearby, while filling them in on the situation.
'The police tried with all their might, but it is apparently impossible to get trough the main entrance. Even the windows seem unbreakable. It is like some sort of force field, everyone who gets near is pushed several yards- Oh for god's sake! ' A police man flew over their heads and landed in the bushes of central park. Several agents rushed to him with a bran card.
'I told you, don't get to close!....geez, sorry Dr. Manning, it's the third one this evening. Now where was I- There were five guards inside, but no word from them...Another option is the second entrance in the metro station which seemed to have no blockade, although it is mostly flooded...Professor Corrigan is already downstairs.'
'Excellent.' Manning gave a quick knowing look at Abe and signalled him, Hellboy and Liz to follow him down the stairway.
-
A woman with a kind intelligent face and wearing an oversized coat, stood with her ankles deep in the cold dirty water.
'Shine me some light please, Mr. Clark.' The Metro station seem to have a power failure and the agents were trying to install some proper light, without killing them all with an electricity shock. For now the flashlight of Agent Clark would have to do. All around her were agents (still with sunglasses on, like they couldn't see bad enough already), some pacing around with rubber boots, taking up water samples, making notes and holding bleeping machines, but most just standing around looking their cranky self.
Kate herself was making herself feel less useless by leaning over a makeshift table (two boxes with guns, ammo and an occasional grenade in it), going trough several oversized and ancient looking books.
'Red and the rest are on their way. Full team apparently…Found anything yet Kate?' Asked Clark, while he checked his watch under the dim light.
'Nah...I haven't heard of anyone or anything ever creating water out of thin air. Maybe I am just out of practice, but I hope it is just a leak and the guards just are just napping I guess. But that doesn't explain the magic blockade at the entrance. I really wanted to go to bed early this evening...Well, at least I got ya all too keep me company.'
'Yay, Happy me.' Uttered Clark without a smile and lit a cigarette.
Professor Kate Corrigan was going trough her fifth book when a BPRD doctor came up to her with a test tube in his hands.
'Take a look at this.' As Kate held the thin glass tube in the light, she saw that the water was quite normal looking, beside the fact that it was slightly lavender coloured.
'It's not natural I tell ya. The water seems to have an alien fluid in it, but I can't really place it. I have too run some tests first too- '
'I know how much you like your tests Doctor Grime, but we can't wait for that. There are guards missing-' Interrupted Manning as he and the others came down the stairway.
'But , you can't-'
'Yes we can. Kate continue your search, Grime do your tests, but don't bother us with them.' Manning said, trying to sound as manly as he could, still clutching a grey dossier like a precious artefact and turned to Abe, who was already preparing for a swim and memorizing the museum blue-prints:' we can't afford to loose time, that's an order!'
Abe raised his hands in a mocking defence and walked to the underground museum entrance. The flooded marble stairway going down led to glass doors, which were still shut. 'Don't look at me. I am going, but I do need a good flashlight and preferably a hammer.'
-
As Agent Sapien walked down the staircase with the necessary equipment and disappeared under water, and Manning shouted more orders, Hellboy took the opportunity to stall time and bother Kate, which he was mostly pretty good at.
'This doesn't feel right Kate.' He lit up a cigar and looked around sternly.
'You're not turning psychic are you? Besides Abe, you seem to have a horrible hatred towards them. How would you be able to look in mirror when you become one of them?'
'I have no problem looking in the mirror, thank you. I am one handsome bastard you know.'
'I know you are Red. But that's not the point is it.'
'It's just a hunch anyway. But I hate being right about these sorta things.'
'Hmph…you sound like Manning- which I guess is worse then being a psychic. Now are you going to help me with these' -She pointed at the still unread books piled up on the makeshift table-' My main man just decided to take a swim, so you will have to do.'
Hellboy grinned, yellow eyes lighting up and picked up the heaviest book:' You make me feel so special Kate.'
-
The water was absolutely freezing. Normally he could handle cold pretty well, but at the moment he wished he had a full-body wetsuit on, instead of just knee-length shorts. As he swam trough the filthy water, he noticed as well that he could hardly see his surroundings, even with his excellent underwater LED flashlight. Like something or someone was making it all darker then it should be. He hated doing these things alone, it would get on his nerves, making him even slightly paranoid, but he knew he could do these things quicker without having divers around.
He glided elegantly passed the museum ticket booths, ignoring a sense of dread and entered the large main downstairs hall. Way across him would be a cafeteria (if he remembered the blue-prints correctly), but the water was just too dense to see anything and it was strangely purple coloured, just as Doctor Grime had noticed. Even the large marble columns in the hall were barely visible. He never had liked Doctor Grime. Always bothered him or Red with to many personal questions and seemed way too interested in the both of them... As Abe swam up slowly, he was so surprised to reach a surface, seeing it was so dark, he almost hit his head against the ceiling. There was barely enough space to have his shoulders above of the water, but it would be enough for Liz and Hellboy to breath.
He hoped for better light in the open air, but no such luck. There was a dense eerie fog hanging around in the air, but happily it made him feel less sick then the dark water. The museum already gave him the creeps and he sensed an unusual presence, but only faintly.
'Hello? Anyone there?!' His refined voice echoed loudly, but there was no answer, and after several more tries he did a quick search for the stairs that lead to the first floor, hearing no sound at all, except the gentle dripping of water hitting the surface and he swam back to where he came from as quickly as he could to get the rest. The longer his gills took in the disgusting water, the more nauseous and light-headed he became and after a quick swim back, he was just all too happy to breathe even the foul metro air.
-
'It is less then a minute swim for Liz and Red. The hall is fortunately not completely flooded...'Abe explained as Hellboy helped him out of the water and everyone silently listened with anticipation as he explained further.
After Liz started putting on her wet suit, telling everyone to turn around ('-or I will burn your pants to crisps-') and Manning blabbering about what to do next (at this point some just stopped listening all together), Hellboy noticed that Abe looked slightly uncomfortable, almost sick. He was already holding one of Kate's books, but didn't really seem to be reading.
After many years of close friendship, he was one of those people who could notice the hardly noticeable changes in Abe's features, like a slighter paler blue complexion.
Hellboy reached for bottle of mineral water, that was in a cooler just a feet away, gave it too Abe, whom seemed to be pleasantly surprised with the offer and put the book down.
'Are you alright there Blue?' Hellboy enquired after putting his revolver, the Good Samaritan, in a watertight case for him to carry underwater with. He stopped helping Kate several minutes ago, after he dropped a thousand year old book in the water and got yelled at.
Abe drank half of the bottles content in two gulps and half of it he poured over his gills. He nodded and spoke very calmly, but he seemed to be even paler.
'Perfectly fine... tha-'
Just then he started coughing violently and held one hand against the subway wall for support and one against his chest. Liz was to busy with her wet-suit to notice, though Hellboy dropped the revolver case and rushed towards him, but Abe already straightened up and held him at arms length.
'Please, I am fine. It's just the water... it be over in a second. I will just not breathe in next time.' Abe inhaled the damp metro air several time and ignored Hellboy's worried look, by checking the supply belt around his waist as a distraction.
'Don't give me that shit Abe. Manning should have just waited! Who knows what could have been in-'
'Shhh! ' Abe's voice was still completely calm, but his anger showed on his face. He hated when Hellboy made a fuss of things. 'Hellboy, I am fine. Manning was right; there is no time for this. Are you ready to go?' His hands trembled slightly, but he tried to hide it with acting stoically. He felt like vomiting as well, but after several more deep breath intakes he felt his stomach slowly calming down and he just hoped it stayed that way. There was something wrong with that water alright and the sooner they found the guards, the sooner he could take a shower.
'Are you ready Red?' Abe repeated and gave Hellboy one of those drop-the-subject looks, walked straight past him to the entrance of the museum, without waiting for an answer.
-
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit-' Was all Liz could think off, while the blue merman guided her trough the dark and thick water. For more then 30 seconds she couldn't breathe and hardly see and although Abe's arm curled around her waste was very comforting in a strange way, she was just extremely glad to hit the surface in the main hall and being able to gasp for air.
'Are you alright?'
'Shit, that was scary…I never want to do that again!'
Abe gave a small smile of relief: 'Hold on to the wall and I will get back with red. That will not be an easy task, I tell you…'
Liz gave a nervous laugh as Abe went down again and left her alone in pitch-black flooded room. She stretched her arm to reach for the ceiling, which was now it seemed a meter away from the water surface. Great. Hardly any room, freezing my butt off and no vision. It's like being stuck in a fridge…
It gave her almost a heart-attack when Hellboy reached to surface, quickly followed by a still somewhat pale-looking Abe. Hellboy made an elaborate spectacle of inhaling air and cursed several times afterwards.
'I bumped my head against something.' Hellboy coughed up as he swam to the wall nearby, scraping against the ceiling once with his stumped horns, cursing again.
'I am sorry Red, I should have noticed, but it was kind of hard steering you, swimming and holding a flashlight and all...' Abe lighted the hall as much as the flashlight could and lead the way towards the stairs that would lead them to the first floor.
'It's alright mate, I've had worse you know…crap, its cold in here! I would be able to see my own breath, if it wasn't for this bloody fog…'
-
They were just several meters away when a big splash was heard in the dark cafeteria. They stopped dead in their tracks, but heard nothing after that but a thick silence. Hellboy stared from the one to the other and the three decided silently they should get the hell out of the water and fast.
On reaching the stairs, Hellboy getting away from the water first -quite relieved nothing happened- looked back and saw Abe becoming paler, but this time apparently because he sensed something very strange was lurking in the water. Abe swiftly turned around as if he heard a loud noise, staring at Liz who was not far away.
'Liz, get out quickly!' Just as he yelled those words and Liz cursed several times, an unknown and sudden force dragged her away and underwater.
A shocked Abe immediately dived after her, before Hellboy could even react.
'Oh crap.' Trying to make radio-contact with the back-up team and failing, he knew that there was no choice but too drop the case with his revolver inside and dive in after his two team members.
Finding that the flashlight laying at the bottom on the floor, illuminating a struggle between Liz who seemed to run out of air, a really strange large creature holding her ankle and Abe with a knife in his hands trying to get near, which seemed close to impossible. The monster was partly transparent and partly glowing, and it moved fast with one claw holding on to Liz and five others arms trying to hit Abe. The creature's large unnatural mouth had several long white sharp teeth which seemed ready to eat anyone else who came in close range of his new found pray.
As Hellboy swam closer ready for action, the creature was distracted for a moment, snapping violently at his new enemy, bubbles bursting out of his mouth and Abe took the change to swirl around the swaying claws, straight to the one holding Liz and started jamming the knife into its transparent flesh with great force. The creature, not taking it kindly as in its distress and anger, rounded up on Abe who couldn't get away fast enough this time and got hit by several sharp claws which left deep marks on his face and chest, but the creature did successfully release Liz from his grip. As Liz swam for the surface with haste and Abe backed away, knife still in his hand, Hellboy gave the monster a very hard blow against the back of its head, cracking its skull. Dazed as it was, it sank too the floor like a brick and the glowing skin subdued.
-Bloody hell, that was easy.-
After giving thumbs up to Abe, who was clutching his bleeding face with his right hand, but smiling gratefully none the less, Hellboy was ready to swim up again to check on Liz, but just then a searing hot pain in his left leg ensued and he was unable to move up. He looked down and saw the same bastard of a monster, seemingly dead but holding on to him like an anchor.
-That son of a b*tch!-
Reaching down he tried to wriggle loose, but the claws encircling his leg were now completely turned into stone-like roots and it seemed it would take a while to break trough. The problem was that he was running out of air. Abe seemed to have noticed his predicament immediately and quickly started helping, by trying to cut the roots loose. After just two tries, the knife broke in half; leaving Abe quite dumbfounded. His astonishment was quickly led by panic, seeing that as Hellboy tried to destoy roots with his right hand of doom, bubbles escaped from his mouth with speed.
Hellboy was able to hold his breath longer then most men, but after a minute of bashing, each time with less energy, he felt his ears started to ring and his consciousness slipping away. Next to Abe appeared a second figure, whom could only be Liz, but his eyes were starting to fog up. She was gesturing something, bubbles escaping from her mouth, but Hellboy tried to concentrate his last bit of energy on the roots. Just then when he thought he was certainly a goner (-to die by a stone-dead creature, for f*cks sake-), two cold hands placed themselves on his cheeks which gave a strange but pleasant sensation and were promptly followed by lips landing on his, forcing his own mouth open.
'Breath in, you bloody idiot.' Was the strangely calm message that rang trough Hellboy's head as he confusingly stared directly into deep enthralling blue eyes and immediately followed the orders. Hellboy firmly took hold of Abe's shoulders which caused the merman a certain shock, making him stay put, till Hellboy was certain he had enough air again.
'Let go.'
Grudgingly following this order as well, Hellboy saw the still somewhat abashed merman swim backwards and pointing at the creature below. On the floor, visible trough the dark water, stuck in the dead creature's mouth was a waterproof stick of dynamite and the fuse was already lit.
Looking up again, Liz and Abe seemed to have disappeared out of sight.
-Oh crap-
'Boom!'
The huge shock erupted from the water and with it several pieces of debris and a big red demon, who managed to curse several times before landing in the water again. Strangely unharmed, except a little bruised from hitting the ceiling, Hellboy exhaustingly crawled out of the water, up on the staircase, were Liz and Abe were waiting out of harms way.
'Let me guess. That was the only thing you could think off on short notice.'
Liz didn't constrain her laughter this time and helped Hellboy on his feet, whose ears were still ringing from the underwater blast: 'Hey, I got you free, didn't I?'
'Yeah you both did save my life back there….but Sparky… you just happened to have dynamite in your pocket?'
Abe, still bleeding and pale, but too relieved to care at the moment, picked up a piece of debris that seem to have been part of creature's body: 'I was surprised as well, I might say. We should get moving, if the cellar was this great of ride, then I can't wait to see what's on the first floor.'
'It just seemed like a great opportunity. Dynamite suits me, right? Red, by the way, you better try to get radio contact. I bet we gave Manning quite a fright on the other side.'
Next chapter will be up soon, if people are interested enough...