After the three cleared the area a second team was sent in to examine the church and look for clues as to what really had happened. Hours later an autopsy would reveal that Alexander Cavanaugh had been frozen from the inside out, exactly as they had believed. The girl responsible was quickly moved into a holding cell until she could be questioned further.
"She's crazy," Meyers said, sipping a cup of coffee. The four of them were all sitting around a table attempting to relax while they were filled in on why exactly the day's events had happened. "Her parents abandoned her and she was left in foster care where her foster father mysteriously died. It was ruled natural causes but of course we can be pretty sure it was her. After that she was taken in by the Church of the Oracle, which was no real church at all."
"I believe she called it a cult," Abe said.
Meyers shook his head. "There didn't seem to be any sort of religious or cult like activities at all actually. The whole thing was a cover for Cavanaugh's buying and selling of stolen goods, drugs and women. This girl was used as a bodyguard and an assassin sent to kill whoever was in Cavanaugh's way. One thing can be said for the church, they kept great records. There's a record of every person Crystal Carlson was sent to kill and it ends with this guy." He held up a folder. "She was supposed to take out the whole family, including two small children. What happened after that is anyone's guess. Maybe she had an epiphany."
"The police are going to love us on this one," Hellboy said with a tone of amusement in his voice. "An entire church wiped out and we have the murderer."
"What I don't understand is if there was no church or even a cult, why bother with the façade?" Liz asked.
"And I find it a little suspicious that they just happened to come across a kid who can create ice out of nowhere," Hellboy added. "There was something else going on in there."
Meyers sighed. "So the church was a cover for the crime which was a cover for something else?"
"Yeah, basically."
"This is great. Abe, do you have any idea?"
Abe shook his head. "I'll know more when I can talk to her again."
"You know, most people wouldn't be so gung ho about talking to the person who tried to kill them," Meyers said.
"It's my job. Besides I already told you I'm pretty sure she never really wanted to kill me anyway."
"Well whether she wanted to or not she almost did."
Meyers had a point. Abe had been more affected by the day's events than he was letting on. It had taken a little while for his circulatory system to get back up to speed, and during that time he could have easily died. He didn't bother to mention it though because he hadn't died and that was the important thing.
"Well whether Abe talks to her or not we'll have some more information before too long. The doctors are running some tests on her now," Meyers said as he stood up.
"Tests," Hellboy growled. "I know all about those. They certainly waste no time do they."
"That they do not," Abe said. The two had been put through more than their share of tests before becoming actual agents for the bureau. Abe still had nightmares about his early days at the B.P.R.D. before Hellboy had saved him.
"Psycho, murderer or pms, no one deserves their tests. C'mon Blue, let's crash the party."
Hellboy quickly strode out of the room with Abe at his heels.
"Ah Hellboy, Abe what can I do for you?" A man in a lab coat asked them.
"We're going in there."
"I'm sorry, you don't have clearance. I can't just let you in there with a murderer."
"Doc, we caught the murderer, remember?"
"But Abraham isn't-"
"I'm fine doctor."
Tired of pretending they were even considering paying attention the doctor Hellboy pushed his way into the room. "You, out." He barked, causing a flurry of movement from the doctors in the room. Unlike the one outside they listened.
In the center of the room sat Crystal Carlson, dressed in a hospital gown and attached to at least three machines. She looked different than the way they had seen her before. She looked defeated.
"What do you want?" She asked, her voice still dripping with the anger of earlier.
"Well we thought we might stop by and have a chat," Hellboy said.
Crystal said nothing.
"And if you decide you don't feel like talking my friend here can get all the info we're going to need anyway. Remember him, the guy you almost killed earlier?"
She averted her eyes but reluctantly spoke. "What do you want to know?"
"That's better." Hellboy pulled a couple of metal folding chairs over and he and Abe sat down. "First off, why'd you kill all those people?"
"I told you, I didn't want them to ruin anyone else's life."
"Yeah, but you're going to have to be a little more specific."
She sighed heavily. "They were using me to kill people, is that specific enough for you? They knew about my gift and they used it to their advantage. I was eleven years old when they got me, twelve the first time I ever killed someone. I thought I was doing something good, like I was some kind of superhero. I was killing the bad guys and disappearing into the shadows just like on TV. I spent fourteen years completely blind to what was going on around me. Do you have any idea what that can do to a person?"
"Actually, yeah I do believe it or not," Hellboy said.
Crystal looked up. "Really?"
"Yeah but that's not important right now."
"No I guess not. But I assure you I am not a bad person. Okay so I'm a murderer but that doesn't make me evil. Cavanaugh was evil they all were evil. I was used that's all."
"How can you go fourteen years not realizing what's going on around you?" Abe asked, finally entering into the conversation.
"When you're feeling loved for the first time in your life you don't ask questions."
Silence fell over the room, leaving the humming of machinery the only sound present.
"Look, whatever you're going to do to me do it. I will not stand for being someone's lab rat, I'd rather die."
Hellboy and Abe excused themselves from the room, waiting until they were out of hearing range before speaking. The last thing they needed was a bunch of doctors watching their every move.
"So, what do you think?" Hellboy asked once he felt they were safe.
"Well she's telling the truth for one. And she's right, she isn't a bad person just… misguided."
"So what, you're saying we should let her go and give her a room?"
Abe shrugged. "Better fighting with her than against her."
"Meyers had a point, she did try to kill you."
"Yes I do seem to remember something along those lines happening."
"You're crazy, you know that right?"
"But you trust my judgment." It was a statement, not a question.
"You know Manning is going to hate this."
"Manning hates us Red."
Hellboy smiled. "That's true. Okay, I'll see what I can do… but I still think you're crazy."
A/N: At first I thought the idea of the B.P.R.D. accepting a character like Crystal was far-fetched and I worried about how I would make it seem plausible. But then I realized it isn't very far-fetched at all, given the history of the comic books. Roger was accepted after he not only nearly killed Liz but did kill another agent. One thing you have to keep in mind in this fandom is that nothing is really that unusual I guess. On a totally unrelated note, I am really hoping to see Roger in the next Hellboy movie.