A/N: Holy crap I've been updating my stories like crazy lately, this is my fourth one in about two weeks! And I think one of my friends is ready to either rip her hair out or kill me for it. *snickers* I intended for this to be A LOT shorter than it is but one I started typing I couldn't stop. Seven days and four skipped assignments to type this guys! So feel loved! In this chapter we learn a bit more about Roxanne
If you haven't realized by this point that I don't own Hellboy I suggest you seek mental help.
Chapter 4: Pieces of the Mystery
B.P.R.D. Monday 7:30am
Abe had always been an early riser and today proved no different. Today he could be found sitting at one of the desks in the library working on the same blue prints he had started yesterday. He had almost completed the chemical composition for the spray that would allow him to go without his respirator for longer periods of time, when Hellboy burst in through the library doors. This severely startled the Ichthyo Sapien because Hellboy was never up before nine at the earliest.
"Is everything alright Red?" He asked standing up.
"Huh? Yeah Liz just said I was taking up too much space on the bed and gave me the boot. And since there is no way I'm arguing with a pregnant woman who has easy access to a handgun I need somewhere else to crash for a few more hours. Can I sleep on one of the couches in here?" Hellboy asked.
"That's fine." Abe said returning to his work.
"What 'cha workin' on?" Hellboy asked as he walked over to Abe looking over his shoulder at the blueprints.
"Do you remember me telling you about a spray that will allow me to be out of water without my respirator for a long time?" Abe asked as he continued to balance the chemical equations on the papers in front of him.
"Yeah." Hellboy said.
"Well this is the design for that spray." Abe replied.
"How long have you been workin' on it?" Hellboy asked as he squinted at the various numbers and symbols.
"I started it yesterday and I'm finished as of right…now." Abe said finishing the last of the symbols.
"Cool Hellboy said lying down on one of the couches.
"Well, I'm going to go down to the lab and starting working with Agent Wright on these." Abe said walking toward the door, Hellboy giving him an affirmative grunt. When Abe arrived at the B.P.R.D.'s lab he was unsurprised to find that Agent Wright was the only one there. Agent Wright was a tall man with grey hair in a buzz-cut. He used to be an Admiral Chief of Naval Operations before he joined the FBI, where he became the head of the B.P.R.D.'s lab. In fact he was the one who helped Abe and Professor Broom design all of Abe's equipment.
"Hello Abe." He said looking up from a machine he was working on. "What can I help you with today?"
"I've finished the chemical make-up and basic designs for the spray." Abe said holding out the blueprints to the agent who took them.
"Excellent. Come over here and we can start working on the proto-type." Wright said leading Abe to a work table.
9:45am
Abe left the lab and headed back to the library with a feeling of accomplishment. Agent Wright and himself and been able to get a proto-type of the spray produced and the finished product would be ready sometime in the next two weeks. When he was walking up to the library doors he swore that he could hear the gentle sounds of a flute playing close by but before he could follow the sound he ran into Liz.
"Hey Abe, is Red in there?" She asked gesturing to the Library doors.
"Good Morning Liz, and yes he is. He came in early this morning and fell asleep on one of the couches." Abe said opening the doors.
"Sorry about that, but HB can be such a bed-hog sometimes." Liz explained as she walked over to her sleeping boyfriend with a small smile on her face.
"Not to worry Liz." Abe said waving his hand through the air as he put his copies of the blueprints and the small prototype away in his desk. Liz then gently shook Hellboy's shoulder trying to wake him. He didn't respond.
"HB," She said shaking him harder. "It's time to get up." He rolled over and batted her hand away.
"Red, get up!" She shouted.
"Who-the-wha-ma-na-fa-huh?" Red shouted jumping up into a fighting stance and brandishing a couch cushion in one hand over his head like a club as he looked around sleepily. At this Liz cracked up and Abe's lip twitched upward.
"What damage exactly do you intend to do with a pillow?" Liz asked once she had gotten over her bought of laughter. Hellboy dropped the pillow and gave his girlfriend a mock glare.
"Come on," Liz said taking his hand. "It's time for breakfast."
"Alright. You commin' Abe?" Hellboy asked his best friend.
"I'll be down in a moment; I just want to see if Roxanne's awake." He said. Hellboy then tilted his head to the side.
"Hey, do you guys hear music?" He asked.
"Yes actually, I heard it before Liz and I came in here." Abe acknowledged.
"It sound like it's coming from the other side of this wall." Liz said walking over to the far left wall.
"Well Roxanne must be awake then." Abe said causing Red and Liz to raise an eyebrow.
"That's her room." He elaborated gesturing to the wall.
"Okay, well we'll see you two in a bit then." Liz said taking Hellboy's hand and leaving the room. Abe left the library after refilling his respirator with water and walked over to Roxanne's door. As he approached it he confirmed that the music was in fact coming from the room. That's odd. Abe thought, I don't recall seeing any CD's or music players when I helped her unpack, so where is the music coming from?
Abe knocked on the door and all music from inside ceased with the door opening moments later by Roxanne.
"Yes? Oh, hey Abe." She said smiling. Abe took a moment to take in her appearance. She looked considerably well rested and was wearing black cargo pants, her boots, and a dark blue long sleeve shirt. But what Abe found most intriguing was that in her right hand she was holding a flute, and not an ordinary flute. This one was black and seemed to be made of some type of stone.
"Good morning Roxanne." Abe said. "That's an interesting instrument you have there." He said gesturing to the flute in her hand. He was then shocked to see the flute turn into the black liquid substance he recalled seeing yesterday and watched with fascination as it shot up her right sleeve as it did before.
"Huh? Oh!" Roxanne said blushing slightly. "Sorry, that's a reflex I guess." She said apologetically as the black substance came back down her sleeve and reformed the stone flute in her hand.
"Amazing." Abe murmured. "If you don't mind me asking, how do you do that? Does it meld into your skin?" He questioned.
"No." Roxanne said as she pulled up her right sleeve to reveal her tanned forearm with a few scars of various sizes on it.
"But then how…?" Abe asked trailing off gesturing to the flute. The flute then turned liquid again, ran up Roxanne's arm, wrapped around it and hardened into a bracelet that covered almost all of her forearm.
"Can you turn it into anything you want?" Abe asked still fascinated with Roxanne's abilities.
"Pretty much, it's granite so it's resilient enough to do pretty much anything." Roxanne said as she began to manipulate the stone. "Though mostly I turn it into the flute and my knife." Suddenly Abe understood how she had made her knife vanish and reappear so easily the night before. "Did you need something Abe?" Roxanne asked as the liquid rock resumed its place on her arm and she fixed her sleeve.
"Yes, it's time for breakfast and I thought I would show you down, then afterward I could give you a full tour of the bureau." Abe offered.
"Alright, let's go." Roxanne said as her and Abe made their way down the hall.
"How long have you been playing the flute?" Abe asked.
"My mom taught me the basics when I was around five, so about eighteen years." Roxanne responded.
"You're very good at it." Abe complimented.
"Thanks. But I'm not that good, I don't know any songs really; I mainly play melodies mom taught me and make stuff up as I go along." She said blushing
"Well then, you're good at making thing up as you go." Abe told her.
"Thanks." Roxanne said accepting the compliment with a slight smile. The two continued to talk about different music styles as until they reached the kitchen.
11:35am
After breakfast Abe had given Roxanne an in-depth tour of the B.P.R.D. He showed her everything from the Lab to Hellboy and Liz's room and everything in between. As they walked around he noticed that she took a particular interest in the gym/training center and recently added recreation room. The two were currently approaching the library.
"And this," Abe said laying a hand on the large golden doors. "Is the library." He then pushed the doors open with a flourish. It was his favorite room in the bureau and had purposely saved it for last on their tour. Roxanne stepped inside and he mouth dropped open.
"This is amazing! I've never seen so many books before!" Abe watched as she began to turn slowly on the spot taking in the room and stopped when she noticed the tank. "I'm guessing that's yours?" She asked. Abe nodded and opened his mouth to speak when the mission alarm sounded.
"What's that?" Roxanne demanded jumping slightly and taking a defensive stance her knife appearing.
"The mission alarm." Abe said. "It means Red, Liz, Johan and I are needed to deal with something." He explained at her questioning look. She dropped her stance and the knife disappeared again.
"Sorry." She said blushing. "I've just had to be constantly on edge for the past few years, I guess I'm a little jumpy."
"It's perfectly alright Roxanne, just follow me." Abe said leading Roxanne out of the library.
"I think I'll wait out here." Roxanne said once they had reached the meeting room. Abe nodded and the headed inside. Once inside Abe saw that Red, Liz, Johan and several other agents including Agent Wright were already there. Manning then proceeded to brief them that someone's idea of a joke was to let a dozen or so Imps lose in the local mall. It had already been cleared of civilians and they needed to get the little trouble makers out before they caused too much damage. Everyone then left to make sure their gear was ready and to get in the truck. When he left the room Abe spotted Roxanne leaning against the opposite wall her brow wrinkled in thought and her hands manipulating her piece of granite like clay.
"Roxanne?" He questioned and like always her head snapped up and the granite disappeared.
"Yes?" She answered. Abe then told her about their mission. "Would you like to come with? I'm sure no one would mind if you came to watch."
"No it's alright," Roxanne said. "I've dealt with Imps before and I'm not looking forward to seeing one again anytime soon. Tell everyone to be careful though, those little red pests don't look like much at a foot and a half tall but they have a nasty bite that injects a toxin which causes temporary paralysis, and or muscle spasms. It's non-fatal but the little nuisances think it's soooo very funny to watch a human twitch uncontrollably." She said the last sentence with a slight resentment in her voice. Abe wondered if it had ever happened to her.
"I will." Abe said taking in the new information with a slight nod. Hellboy then called for Abe to hurry up. "We'll be back sometime later today." Abe said as he walked off.
"Good luck." Roxanne called after him.
7:10pm
It has been several hours since the team left the Bureau and they were all fairly tired after corralling the fourteen Imps that had been released at the mall. As Abe was making his way to the library to freshen up before dinner when he decided to see how Roxanne was. Abe knocked on her door and was slightly shocked when there was no response. He probed inside the room with his mind and found no conscious thought inside. He then entered the library hoping she would be there, but when he stepped inside he immediately knew she wasn't. Abe then left the library and began to search the Bureau. After having check the meeting room, recreation room, kitchen, Hellboy and Liz's room, the lab, Johan's lab and still not finding Roxanne, to say Abe was worried was an understatement. As he walked down one of the hallways he heard something coming from the large steel doors to his right that led to the gym and training room. Of course. Abe thought. She had mentioned wanting to take a look in here.
Abe pushed open the doors and walked inside looking around. He noticed there was no one in the gym. He looked to his left and found the door that led to the training room had been left open and he could clearly hear someone inside. When Abe arrived at the door he was pleased to see that it was Roxanne in the room, but was surprised at what he found her doing. She was standing in front of the panel that held the settings for the obstacle course and she was currently setting everything to maximum difficulty. The B.R.P.D. course was unlike any other military obstacle course ever built; it was suspended high above the floor, was customizable and had a few "surprises" built into it to keep the agents on their toes. By removing his glove and touching the wall next to him Abe saw that Roxanne had been working out in the room for three hours only stopping a few times to get water and switch workouts. Normally agents had to be fully rested to get through the course with the settings on high, but Roxanne seemed perfectly content on doing it after being at work for three hours. Though she had been working out for so long the only difference Abe could spot between her appearance this morning and her appearance now was that she had rolled her sleeves up above her elbows. Hitting the button that began to arrange the obstacle course Roxanne walked over to the platform marked START and once she was standing on it four rails came up around her as the platform lifted into the air and locked into a series of suspended platforms and pathways. The rails around Roxanne lowered and she took a ready stance.
When the horn sounded Roxanne took off like a bullet for the first obstacle, the hurdles which began to raise and lower at random. Roxanne cleared the hurdles in seconds as if they were all at level heights. Next she headed for the swinging bridge-that had the rails removed-and crossed it with ease, but as she took the last few strides a large metal bar dropped down onto the bridge rocking it, but she seemed to have been expecting this because she jumped forward into a roll to avoid being hit. Standing from the roll she headed for the wall. She took a running jump and quickly grabbed onto the wall but it began to shake violently, so she quickly pulled herself up and jumped down when the wall collapsed completely. The next obstacle was a large ramp with a forty-five degree incline. She began to ascend the ramp and as she ran it began to get steeper and steeper until she jumped up and landed on the top as it became completely vertical. She then ran forward and toward the next obstacle; the spring board and jumped off of it, latching on to the cargo net that was angled toward her. As she began to climb the cargo net the bottom was set on fire. She quickly climbed over the top and rolled down the side avoiding the flames. She then grabbed the chain that she was supposed to use to swing around the cylinder structure it was attached to and reach the next platform, but she pulled the chain taunt, placed her feet on the wall and ran around the structure. As she ran pieces of the wall punched outward in an attempt to hit her but she evaded them and jumped off the wall landing on the next platform. She was now faced with a series of small ramps that were suspended over open air and lined up in rows forming the outline of a pathway without a solid middle to walk on. The platforms then began to shift forwards and backwards rapidly.
Abe continued to watch with fascination seeing as how most agents had extreme difficulty getting this far and Roxanne looked only slightly tired. She then ran forward jumping off the edge and planting her foot on the first platform to her left; she pushed off and repeated the action with her right, and continued in this fashion, timing each move perfectly until she back flipped off the last one, dodging another falling metal bar and landing the platform. Abe was amazed at her agility. Roxanne had reached the final obstacle. An extremely long balance beam, with a rope at the end that was to be used to swing out and drop onto the padded platform marked FINISH. The room was so quite that if Abe breathed too loudly or his respirator bubbled, Roxanne would be alerted to his presence and the last thing he wanted right now was to spoil her concentration.
Roxanne took a deep breath, and let it out before she began to sprint towards the beam. She had only taken a few strides when a metal beam swung down toward her in an arc; she ducked as it flew over her and jumped over it when it came back toward her. She took off again and the beam split in half and the pieces began to move apart. Roxanne jumped the gap and continued to run. Then items of various shapes and sizes were shot from air cannons mounted in the wall to her left. As Roxanne ran she began to duck, jump, and flip, avoiding most of the projectiles but one clipped her leg causing her to lose her balance for a moment before regaining it and resuming he course. She had reached the end of the beam and her earlier slip up made her lose time because before she could swing out on the rope and drop to the platform, thin metal disks of assorted sizes were shot out from the walls blocking the finish. Roxanne couldn't just drop down to the platform from the rope, so when she grabbed the rope, took a running start and swung out, Abe got a feeling that something bad was about to happen. He was right. Roxanne swung out, but didn't let go of the rope when over the platform, the rope arced up taking Roxanne with it and she did a back flip off the rope. When she came down she landed on one disk for a moment before she began jumping and flipping from disk to disk while dodging the others. During a particularly complex move when she was performing a back flip and rotating sideways at the same time she ended up looking toward the door and saw Abe standing there. Her eyes widened and she jerked to the side throwing off her rotation causing two disks that were close together to slam into her left arm. Roxanne began to fall and Abe began to run. As she fell a few other disks clipped her slightly and it look as if she was going to fall the thirty feet to the floor when suddenly the all of disks shot toward her and melded together forming a ramp to the ground. She hit the ramp with a force that would break bones, and rolled down it and onto the floor. By the time she hit the ramp Abe was a little over ten yards away. When he reached her she was trying to pushing herself up into a sitting position while gripping her left upper arm which he could see was bleeding. Abe knelt down next to her and helped her sit up. Odd, she shouldn't be able to sit up after how hard she hit the ramp. Abe thought. It then occurred to him that she must have made the metal softer for the impact.
"Let me see your arm." He said gently taking said arm. Abe then took out a pocket knife and cut Roxanne's left sleeve away revealing two large gashes on her bicep that were bleeding severely.
"I need to get you to the medical bay." He said moving to wrap the remains of her sleeve around her arm to stop the bleeding, but Roxanne stopped him.
"No Abe, It's alright I just need to-" Roxanne began but was cut off by Abe.
"No Roxanne, you need to see the doctor." Abe pressed tying the cloth around her wound.
"Honestly Abe I don't need a doctor. I just have to get my-" Roxanne tried to stand but Abe stopped her, cutting her off again.
"Roxanne, you need stitches." Abe said firmly. "If you do not wish for the doctor to administer them then I can, but you are going to go to the medical bay. The only question is whether or not I carry you there." He said in a voice that left no room for argument. Abe went to pick Roxanne up but she held up a hand and spoke.
"Alright, I'll go," She then pointed to a black gym bag resting against one of the walls. "But first will you please get that and bring it here? I need to get something out of it." Abe quickly walked over and picked up the bag. When he did he was surprised by how much it weighed. It feels like it's full of rocks. Abe thought as he brought the bag to Roxanne. When he placed it in front of her she unzipped it with her right arm and revealed it was full o rocks. Abe opened his mouth to question as to why she had a bag of rocks when she held up her hand stopping him again.
"Watch." She said. She then selected a fairly large rock from the bag and untied the cloth Abe had placed around her arm. She held the rock in her right arm and placed it to her injury where it wrapped around her arm like putty, covering the injury and hardened again. She then closed her eyes and began to take deep, measured breaths. Abe's look of impatience quickly turned to one of fascination when a light brown glow began to emit from her arm and the rock began to shrink. When the glow dimmed Abe saw that the rock had completely disappeared from Roxanne's arm and the only thing left of her injury was dried blood and two scars where the gashes used to be. Roxanne opened her eyes and let out a shaky breath.
"How did you do that?" Abe asked in awe.
"It's another thing my powers allow me to do. I'm lucky they were only that big though, because if they had been any bigger I wouldn't have been able to heal them."
"What do you mean?" Abe asked.
"Healing like that takes an immense amount of energy because I'm taking the earth into my body through the wound and using my body's control of rock and my energy to break down the rock and use it to speed up my body's healing process, but it also leaves me fairly week when I do it so I can't heal any major injuries." Roxanne explained.
"Are there any other side effects?" Abe asked his curiosity peaked.
"A few. The area being healed gets very hot creating the glow you saw, and when I heal I experience all of the pain and discomfort the wound would cause over the course of it healing naturally jammed into however long the healing takes. Also because I have this ability when I recover naturally from injuries I heal much faster than regular people. What takes one person weeks to recover from, takes me days. I just run a high fever and feel more pain during the process."
"Oh really?" Abe questioned. Roxanne nodded and began to speak again.
"If I hadn't healed those gashes they would have been completely healed by Friday with me running around one hundred to one hundred and two degrees the entire time."
"But with your body at such a high temperatures have you ever gone into seizures?" Abe asked tilting his head to the side.
"No actually. I've been healing that fast my entire life and I've been a lot hotter than that for much longer periods of time but I've never shown any sign of suffering any form of damage from it. I get hurt, heat up, heal quick, and then cool down." Roxanne said.
"Just how hot is "A lot hotter" and how long is "much longer"?" Abe questioned. Roxanne thought for a moment biting her lower lip in thought.
"I think the hottest I've ever ran is around...one sixteen-one seventeen. And that was for about three and a half months. Yeah, that sounds about right." Roxanne said with a nod.
"That must have been a very painful recovery." Abe said softly.
"It was." Roxanne replied. "But I actually prefer healing the way I do to the way normal people do. If I had healed at the rate of a normal human then I would have been out of action for six to eight months. It makes life easier."
"I have a question though. You used your powers to make the disks into a ramp, so why not just move them all out of the way so you could drop down to the platform? Isn't it easier?" Abe asked.
"Yes it's easier but it's also cheating." Roxanne said with her mischievous grin.
"Amazing, simply amazing." Abe murmured shaking his head. He then gestured to her arm. "May I?" Roxanne nodded and Abe lifted her left arm up and began inspecting it. He gently ran his fingers over the newly formed scars that if not for the dried blood would look as if they had been there for years. This arm like the other had a fair amount of scars on it, but not an extreme amount. Abe then turned her arm to reveal the underside and found something that seemed very out of place on Roxanne's arm. On the inside of Roxanne's left bicep was a tattoo. It was two swords with black hilts angled toward each other forming what appeared to be the letter M, under that was the roman numeral X, and below that was a serial number that read; 000-0001. The entire tattoo was incased in a black circle. It clearly stood for something but Abe just couldn't think of what. Roxanne didn't seem to want Abe to see it because when she noticed his gaze her eyes widened and she carefully removed her arm from his grip.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was that?" Abe asked.
"Where I esca-came from, that was my ID." Roxanne said. Abe tilted his head to the side in question.
"Back...there, everyone has a tattoo and each one is different, so that everyone can be identified." She elaborated. She then reached over and zipped up her gym bag and Abe head her mutter bitterly; "Not that I even needed the stupid ID, everyone and their mother at the base knew who I was."
"What?" Abe asked. Roxanne shook her head.
"It's a part of the very long story that is my past." She said. "I'll tell you all about it after dinner if you want." She offered. Abe could see some of the puzzle peices comming together in his mind: she had refused to take off her jack last night, and had worn long sleeves today because she didn't want anyone to see the tattoo; she didn't want anyone to recognize it, or herself.
"That sounds fine." He answered.
"I should go and get cleaned up." She said gesturing to her ruined shirt, and the dried blood on her arm. Reaching for the hem of her shirt she began to pull it up. Abe realizing what she was going to do placed his hands over hers, forcing them back down.
"What on earth are you doing?" He demanded blushing and looking away. Roxanne then looked him in the face and Abe figured he must have had a fairly odd expression on it because she erupted in a fit of a laughter so powerful she had to lay back on the floor to keep from falling over. It was the first time Abe had ever heard Roxanne truly laugh, and he found he liked the sound.
"Calm down Abe!" She said trying to stifle her laughter. "I'm wearing a tank top under this." A mischievous smile never leaving her face as she sat back up and removed her ruined shirt to reveal a black tank top and a pair of dog tags that he was too flustered to ask about.
"Buy why remover your over shirt in the first place?" Abe asked.
"I'm going to look weird enough walking back to my room with dried blood on my arm and no cut to show for it, let alone in a shirt with only one sleeve." Roxanne clarified. Apparently Roxanne had no idea what "Odd" meant at the bureau because ripped clothing and dried blood was a fairly standard thing. Roxanne shoved the remains of her shirt into a pocket of her bag, then stood and picked up the bag but Abe quickly walked forward and took it from her.
"I'll help you back to your room." He said. Roxanne looked like she was going to protest but gave up and nodded. The two reached Roxanne's room quickly and Roxanne took the bag of rocks from him with a smile.
"Thanks Abe, I'll see you at dinner. I'll be down once I'm cleaned up and changed." She then disappeared into her room. Standing outside her door Abe realized he was still wearing all of his mission gear. Turning he went into the library and put all of his gear away. He then took out the prototype of the spray and applied it to his gills. He took an experimental breath and was pleased to see it worked. He quickly changed into his usual black swimming shorts and put in his contacts. He then walked over to the four music stands in front of his tank and removed the books from them. Walking over to one of the book shelves he began the process of picking out four new books to read. About five minutes later he had four new books placed on the music stands and ready for him to begin reading later. Walking out of the library he decided to wait for Roxanne to come out before heading to the kitchen. Roxanne emerged a few minutes later, wearing a dark green T-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans.
"Hey Abe. I would have figured you'd be down at dinner by now." Roxanne said once she spotted him.
"I decided to wait for you and escort you down. If you don't mind that is." He added hastily. Roxanne shook her head and let out a slight chuckle.
"Always the gentlemen aren't you?" She teased playfully.
"Always." Abe replied.
"Alright let's go." She said. The two walked down to kitchen where they found Hellboy, Liz, and Johan already seated at the table.
"Nice of you two to join us." Hellboy said. "Can we eat now?" He asked turning to Liz.
"Sure." Liz said. Hellboy leaned back in his chair, hit a button on the wall and the two carts of food were pushed in. Today they were having spaghetti and marinara sauce.
"How was the mission?" Roxanne asked as the plates were distributed.
"It vent vell." Johan said. "Though it took some time ve vere able to capture all of ze Imps in a timely fashion."
"A timely fashion?" Hellboy said. "We were at that stupid mall for forever!"
"It wasn't that long Red." Liz said. "Quit being so over dramatic."
"Well it felt like forever." Red grumbled.
"Oh and Roxanne, thank you for the tip about their bite." Abe said. "It saved me the time of having to look them up in my books and it was truly helpful." The other nodded their agreement.
"No problem." Roxanne said shrugging. "I've had a few run-ins with the little pests before and they were less than pleasant." At this she reached up and absentmindedly fingered a scar on the left side of her jaw that looked like it came from a small set of pointed teeth Abe also noticed there was a matching scar just above her right eyebrow.
"I take it zat you been bitten by von before." Johan said leaning forward in his chair slightly. Roxanne nodded.
"Twice." She responded with a frown.
"If you'd already been bitten once, wouldn't you be more careful the next time you dealt with them?" Hellboy asked.
"Actually the second time I wasn't bitten because I wasn't being careful, I was bitten because one of the little cretins saw I was starting to recover from the first bite." She answered.
"Twice in one day?" Liz asked. "That must have sucked."
"It did." Roxanne said.
"Is veing bitten painful?" Johan asked.
"Oh Yeah." Was Roxanne's reply.
"Does it hurt a lot?" asked Hellboy.
"Yes." Was the monosyllabic response as Roxanne picked at her food.
"How much?" Hellboy pressed.
"Red the interrogation isn't exactly polite." Liz said.
"It's alright Liz. And Red it's more painful than a pinch but less than paying your taxes." Roxanne replied with a slight smile. Everyone gave her a questioning look.
"You all have never paid taxes have you?" Roxanne said looking from face to face. She was given nods and verbal confirmation of the statement.
"It's something my dad used to say when asked if something hurt." She explained. "Let's try this; it's more painful than a pinch but less than having your arm and leg removed." Everyone understood this explanation. They ate in silence for a few moments before Hellboy blurted out a question.
"Hey Kid what's up with your arm?" He asked.
"It's nothing, just a granite wrist band." Roxanne told him reaching for her drink.
"I meant your left arm." Hello boy said.
"Huh?" She responded. "I thought I got all the blood off." She muttered as she began to check her arm.
"I zink zat Agent Hellboy was referring to ze tattoo Ms. Stryker." Johan said.
"Oh, that." Roxanne said blushing.
"If you don't mind me asking, what blood?" Liz inquired.
"I cut my arm earlier." Roxanne explained.
"But I do not see any injury." Johan pointed out.
"That's because I healed it." Roxanne told him.
"You can heal?" Liz asked impressed.
"Only if it's a small injury." Roxanne answered.
"How'd you cut yourself?" Hellboy pressed.
"I felt off the obstacle course." Was her short response. Hellboy grinned.
"What? You can't take a simple little obstacle course?" He teased. Abe could tell that Roxanne was getting flustered about the sudden onslaught of questions, so he decided to help.
"Actually Red, She was running the course on maximum difficulty, and doing exceedingly well I might add." Abe said.
"When'd you fall?" Hellboy asked his teasing grin never leaving his face. "At the hurdles or the bridge?" Roxanne opened her mouth to reply but Abe-who could sense what she was going to say-placed a hand on her arm and gave her a look, effectively stopping the cutting reply that was on the way.
"I actually made it to the last obstacle but I lost my concentration while making my past the disks to the finish." Was the calm reply.
"Impressive, but that still doesn't explain the tattoo." Hellboy said getting back to his original question.
"Alright, how about after dinner I tell you guys all about myself? Were I came from, the "Hell hole", the trolls, the tattoo, and anything else you want to know. Sound good?" She offered.
"We don't want you to feel like you have tell us anything Roxanne." Liz said looking at the younger girl. Roxanne waved her hand dismissively.
"I was actually going to tell Abe tonight and I'll probably have to tell Manning tomorrow, so it's no big deal."
"Zat sounds fine." Johan said, Hellboy and Liz agreed. The rest of dinner was fairly quiet and when everyone finished Roxanne stood and rubbed her hands together.
"Alright, so where do you guys want to talk?" She asked.
"How about the library?" Abe suggested.
"That works." Liz said placing a hand on the small of her back as she stood.
"Let's go then." Roxanne said as the five walked to the library. Once there; Hellboy collapsed onto a couch pulling Liz down with him, Johan sat in an armchair, and Abe sat next to Roxanne on the remaining couch.
"I'll start from the beginning I suppose." Roxanne said running a hand through her hair. "I'm originally from Fort Collins Colorado. My dad was Robert Stryker and a General in the army, my mom was Meghan Stryker, and I had a Little brother named Patrick Stryker, he was three years younger than I am."
"I noticed zat you are using ze past tense ven referring to your family. Did something happen to zem?" Johan asked leaning forward. Roxanne closed her eye and looked down taking a deep breath. She exhaled and looked up her eyes reflecting an intense pain and sadness, and that pain and sadness was clear in her voice with her next words.
"Both of my parents and my little brother were killed when I was eight years old."
A/N: Cliffhangger! For those of you who want a better Idea of what Roxanne's tattoo looks like it's now my new avatar so check it out. So here's chapter four and holy crap it's long! the most I've ever written…so far.
There's a few parts I'm kinda iffy about so let me know what you guys think please!
And I would like to formally apologize to my friend Van for her getting grounded because she had to duck-tape and hog-tie her little sister so she can read this in peace. But tell me Van…was it worth it? Lol. See you guys next chapter.
-UpInArms100
