Animal Instincts

Psycho Llama


Disclaimer: Mike Mignola owns all but mousy. Yes, that does mean Mike Mignola owns the world. Flee; flee for your lives!

"And father wants me to marry a scientist, now. He keeps going on about the importance of science and how it will one day change the world and blah-blah-blah," the girl mimicked her father's flapping jaw with her hand. She sighed, "What about you? What are your plans for the future?" she asked her friend. The two of them sat there for a while, lying on their backs in the grassy field, clouds progressing endlessly across the sky.

"Science sounds good right now," the boy joked, earning a light-hearted whack from the girl. He smiled at her, "What do you want to be in the future?"

"Something with animals… like a vet maybe," the girl smiled fondly up at the sky.

"Medicine, then? That's a good choice."

"I've always wanted to be a bird, so I could fly away."

"Where would you fly, if you were a bird?"

"Home, and visit my mother's grave…" the girl's face saddened, "I miss England. I miss my old home…"

"Would you come back?"

"Huh?" the girl looked surprised, "Of course I would, as long as you were still here." She grinned, "I heard that you're going to university next year, congratulations."

"Thank you, I'll visit as often as I can," her friend promised, staring at her with those deep blue eyes… They reminded Melissa of the sea the day her mother had taken her on a picnic at the beach when she was little… like the shimmering water in Abe's tank, even.

Melissa drifted in and out of her dream, slowly waking into the land of the conscious. The shape-shifter rolled over, desperately clinging to the image of her past.

Amber eyes flickered open; she could smell food. Melissa sat up, beaming at the little plate of cookies on the table beside her bed. They had chocolate chips; they even had macadamia nuts! 'And they're still warm!' Melissa thought gleefully, picking one of the cookies up. 'Abe, where ever you are; if you can hear this, thank you SO much!'

"You're perfectly welcome. Actually it was the kitchen staff who baked them."

Melissa jumped in surprise, looking up at the psychic standing in the doorway, "Oh, good morning! H-how long have you been there for?"

"Not long, I felt you waking up."

"Oh, Right…" Melissa bit her lip, "What have I missed?"

"There are concerns that Sammael laid some eggs when he and Hellboy were underground by the subway. Hellboy, myself and some of the agents will be going down there to see what we can find," Abe explained, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Should I come? I could help, I think... there are a lot of places underground that are hard to get to when you're only human, you know."

"No, we've decided to keep you at the bureau until we know what's going on and why Rasputin and his followers are here," Abe told her calmly.

Melissa laid back, staring at the ceiling; "It's my fault, isn't it? Death seems to follow me wherever I go." 'I can't escape it…'

"I read Kroenen's mind. He was not expecting to see you in America."

Melissa was caught between accusing Abe of accusing her of being a liability… and accusing herself of the same thing. The girl groaned, rubbing her eyes. She had no idea what to do or what to think… should she fight for a life of freedom, as she had always done? Or would it just be an endless cycle of running, hiding and the death of anyone she trusted. Was she fighting the inevitable?

'Melissa, don't go down that path. Please.' Melissa looked up her friend's sad face.

"I thought I could start a new life here…" the girl murmured, "I thought it would be different."

"It is different. And it is not your fault that Kroenen is running into us; it's more our fault that Kroenen is running into you. There's quite a history between the BPRD and Rasputin's followers," Abe paused, "If you came with us, we could not guarantee your safety if we became separated at all."

Melissa shivered at the thought. She laid back down, curling into a ball, her back to the fish-man; "Okay, I'll stay…"

"Thank you," Abe rose to leave.

'Don't get hurt…'

'Minor ailments and injuries are part of the job. I'll try not to get hurt too seriously.'

'Good. You must have spent enough time in my head to know I'd go mad without you.' A red haze descended over Melissa's cheeks.

'The thought is mutual, dear.' Melissa smiled slightly, the blush deepening.

The alarm bell sounded, tearing viscously through the bureau. Abe scowled at the ceiling, "What was that for? He knows I'm coming!" grumbling, but stealing himself to give a polite farewell to Melissa, Abe trudged out of her room.

Broom knocked audibly on the library door. Melissa sat curled up on one of the plush armchairs inside of the small library, focusing intently on her hands. She had since changed into a long, almost Gothic black dress that made her look even more pale and skeletal than she already was. The girl looked up, her golden-amber eyes containing cat-like slitted pupils, she blinked them back to normal, "Oh, hello."

"Hello," Broom grinned cheerfully, "I see you've been practicing on your talent…"

"I had no idea until Abe pointed it out that I could mix different sets of DNA," Melissa beamed, "But I'm getting there. I can get almost four different sets going at once…"

She demonstrated by sprouting a giant dove-white wing out of her back alongside an equally giant bat wing to the left. Her face then distorted a little; caught halfway between human and bird, looking pained. She maintained it for a little while, then her left arm became a bat wing and half of her body became bird.

Broom jumped to his feet in surprise at the struggling mass of feathers and scales, worried as of how to help her. The rapidly shifting form soon boiled down to the white bird. Melissa lay flat on her back on the ground, "Um, I'm sorry you had to see that…"

"Are you alright?" Broom asked hesitantly.

"I'm alright. It doesn't hurt when it happens," Melissa shrugged her wings.

"Thank goodness for that… It—it's definitely impressive, though," Broom sat down in an adjacent chair, "I came to have a talk. About last night, to be precise."

"The bus trip was fun, just not the part after," Melissa smiled timidly, human once again.

"Yes, so I heard. How are your injuries?"

"Good, I heal quickly," Melissa nodded.

"Undoubtedly," Broom chuckled.

Melissa sighed deeply, hanging her head; "I'm worried about Hellboy and Abe… when do you think they'll be back?"

Broom checked his watch, brow furrowing, "Not sure exactly… Do not worry yourself. I am sure they are fine."

Melissa wandered listlessly around her room, rearranging the few possessions she had acquired since joining the BPRD. She had run out of things to write about in her diary, one of her favourite ways to pass time. She had almost become obsessive with the little thing, keeping a copy of her memories in case she ever lost them… again.

The sound of running footsteps and shouting voices outside of Melissa's room reached her sensitive ears. Stepping out, she saw the medical team rushing madly back and forwards, cold dread hit her like a bucket of water.

A stretcher wheeled around the corner, carrying agent Clay… Melissa paled; she had seen injuries like those many times before. Panicking, she rushed back inside of her room, closing the door behind her. Where were Abe and his comforting thoughts? She screwed her eyes shut, willing the mental image of the ichthyoid with similar injuries out of her head.

"Quick, get him in the medical tank," she heard a muffled voice from the corridor.

"Oh no…" Melissa slipped under the door as a spider, then became human again. She winced at the sight of the deep gashes on Abe's chest, 'What happened down there?' she wondered in dismay. Abe's mind wasn't even in there to comfort her.

"Mousy!" Hellboy called, following the procession, "Um… come on," Hellboy couldn't find the words, so just tried to get her away from the medical wing.

"What happened?" Melissa demanded, tears stinging her eyes.

"Sammy got Abe when he was in the water. Must've dropped the pinkie…"

"Pinky? …And Clay?" Melissa turned around instinctively, hearing another stretcher being wheeled along.

"Look forwards," Hellboy growled.

"Why…" she asked, looking backwards. Melissa's question died in her throat. The stretcher came around the corner, Kroenen's body lying upon it. Like a clever magician's trick, Melissa suddenly became a white pigeon and took off, flying as far and fast as her little wings could take her away from the corpse.

"Aw nuts…" Hellboy mumbled, chasing after her.

"Why did you bring him here?" Melissa yelled, stopped in the corridor near where Abe's medical tank was, back in her human form.

"He's dead; it's called an autopsy," Hellboy snarled, his patience long since gone.

"D-dead? How… what killed him?"

"Clay, right as the bastard stabbed him."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How is Clay?"

"They're saying he won't survive the night."

"And Abe?"

"He'll make it, don't worry. He's been hit by worse."

Melissa nodded, "Hellboy, I'm sorry about Clay…"

"Not your fault."

'No, it probably was…' Melissa mused sadly, she did not have the courage to say it out loud.

Hellboy cocked his head to the side, trying to see Melissa's face better, as hair hung in a curtain obscuring her face. She was shaking again. Hellboy figured it must have been from Kroenen being so close, even if he was dead. Even Hellboy felt uneasy having the Nazi being in the bureau.

'Must feel like mousy got a snake dropped in her cage…' Hellboy nudged Melissa's shoulder lightly with his giant stone hand, "Hey, why don't you grab some chilli and hide out in my room. Dead or alive, that thing ain't going near my den."

"Thank-you." Melissa turned, giving the unconscious, bobbing Abe a sad look of longing before walking silently making her way towards the kitchens.

"Melissa! Finally, I was worried you were going to miss dinner again!" the cook grinned upon seeing Melissa enter the cafeteria.

"Hello again," Melissa smiled dimly, "What can you suggest in the way of chilli? Red's been on my case for ages about trying some," the girl sighed wearily.

"Well there's a chilli, some chilli or the chilli."

"...Are they all the same chilli?"

Luigi thought for a bit, and eventually nodded, "Yeah, all the same chilli."

"I'll have some chilli, then," Melissa grinned, picking up a bowl from the stacks of crockery.

"It's the best kind," Luigi grinned. Melissa thanked him graciously for the food, taking her leave of the cafeteria to go have chilli with Hellboy.

"Myers, you're a talker. What's a good, solid word for 'need'?"

Melissa stopped eating to see what Myers would say. She was perched on one of the tables, as a cat, eating the chilli straight out of the bowl. Chilli didn't seem to be her favourite food, but oddly seemed to be her cat form's favourite. Hellboy thought it was funny, and kept laughing whenever Melissa went to clean her face with the napkin, complaining of all the mess.

"Need's a good, solid word."

"Nah, too needy."

Melissa chuckled into her chilli, the sound a bit perturbing to Myers. She raised her tabby head, licking her face clean, "Long? Crave?" an image of Abe floated through her mind, "...Desire?"

"Hmm…" Hellboy frowned, deciding on the level of neediness of each one. Melissa shrugged and went back to her chilli.

"Oh, my God... Look at them all! Who had babies?" Liz murmured at the feline army occupying Hellboy's room.

She saw the silver tabby cat eating from the bowl of chilli and scowled, "Aw, one of them got to the chilli. Bad cat!" Liz scolded, taking Melissa away from her dinner.

"Uh, Liz…?"

"No, no! Put me down! Please!" Melissa yelped, 'Heights… ugh… dizzy…'

Liz started, dropping the cat; "You… found a cat that talks?"

"No. Found a talker that 'cats'."

"Really?" Liz turned back to the cat. Instead she found herself looking at a little badger picking the bowl of chilli up while standing on its hind legs.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Sherman," Melissa smiled, waving a friendly black paw. 'I need time to think…'

"Yeah, you too," Liz replied thoughtfully, watching the badger go.

Professor Broom walked out of the autopsy room sighing. He saw Melissa's pale frame leaning against the outside wall. She looked at him distantly, seeming lost. Broom did his best to put on a smile, "Oh hello, how long have you been here?"

"A short while," Melissa whispered under her breath.

"Ah."

"You—you said he was born in 1897. Did you mean…"

"There was no error. That was the year he was born," Broom chuckled at the agape expression on her face.

"You mean… all this time I've been chased around by some—some old guy in a mask?" Melissa looked ready to accept this as some sick kind of joke, "Some really old guy in a mask?"

Broom chortled, "More or less. Then again he seems to have been of the un-dead for quite a while."

"Hmm…" Melissa gave the door towards the autopsy room an uncomfortable look, 'How can you die if you're already un-dead?'

Broom braced her shoulder, "Look on the bright side, you no longer have anyone to fear. You should thank Clay for that after he recovers, which he most definitely will, I pray."

Melissa grimaced in repulsion at the memory of the bloody wound in Clay's gut. It was unsettling… more of an attack than a simple execution, which wasn't like the clockwork assassin.

"Well, I have to go figure out the next piece of the puzzle," Broom announced, holding up the pieces of parchment. Melissa nodded, watching him leave.

The girl stood outside in the corridor for a while longer, debating on wether or not to go in. To face her demons… 'Demon, singular. And he's dead.' She drew in a deep breath of resolution and pushed open the door.

The stitches were apparent even through the plastic sheet laid on top of the corpse. '…Suffered a masochistic compulsion, commonly known as surgical addiction…' the professor's words rung in her mind. Melissa stood in front of the closed door, her hand still on the knob. Gulping, she moved away and over to the table where the assassin's effects were displayed. Not once did she turn her back on the creature, even dead she did not trust him not to leap out and grab her.

Her mind slowly pieced the concept of what Kroenen was together from Broom's recording and the evidence before her. She had no idea that he was this… creepy. 'Manners!' one part of her brain irked, 'Hey, this guy has been after my blood for years, why the hell should I be using manners?' 'Oh, I swore…'

"Alright, you're creepy. I don't care if it's rude, you just are!" Melissa stated pointedly at the dead body. It didn't move. 'Thank God…'

Melissa stalked awkwardly towards the operating table. Eyeing Kroenen's corpse suspiciously. She remembered what Broom had said about his face. No eyelids, no lips… 'That would explain the lack of speech, then.'

She found herself standing beside the head of the table. She reached a hand to try and lift the plastic sheet off, to get a better look at her pursuer's face. She had never seen anything but the mask, giving the assassin the daunting detachment from human emotion that chilled the blood in her veins.

She reached her hand, then abruptly pulled it back, unable to find the courage to lift the sheet. She tried a few times more, with little success. "He's dead, he's dead," she murmured to herself. She took the corner of the plastic covering and pulled it down to expose his face.

Melissa clamped a hand over her mouth just in time to stop a scream tearing through the air. His eyes were pointing directly at her. Her knees gave and she collapsed onto the ground, looking horrified. The eyes didn't follow her.

'Damn that was creepy!' she cursed herself for being such a coward, 'But weren't his eyes facing the ceiling when I entered…?' Melissa gulped, she couldn't be sure. The shape-shifter suddenly felt extremely cold. The fact that he had no eyelids or lips didn't even phase her, all that she had seen of his face were those pallid blue eyes staring straight through her.

'If I run, and he's alive, I won't have a chance. Then again not-running could prove equally fatal.' Melissa slowly got to her feet. Hugging herself tightly, and not just from the coldness of the autopsy room.

The girl bit her lip, "I suppose it would be pretty pointless to ask wether you were dead or not." No answer, Melissa hesitated.

He had no pulse. As far as Melissa could remember, he never had. But even with his clockwork ticking sound gone, she didn't trust the corpse, "…But you are dead. You are dead. I am talking to a corpse!" Melissa threw her hands up in disbelief, "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Oh, I have gone crazy. And I blame you, you know," Melissa muttered bitterly, "Stupid corpse… which is dead."

But still there was no movement from the dormant killer. Melissa moved forwards, cautiously, and poked his arm. It felt cold, cold and dead. Melissa scowled, "Would you stop that? Please, I know you're not dead!"

She was afraid to accept his death. If she accepted, she would drop her guard. If she dropped her guard, he would come back and kill her.

"Why have you been after me all this time?" she whispered. Was it her past? Was there some terrible secret in her 'former life' that had seen an assassin hired to kill her?

"Fine! Play dead! See if I care!" she hissed, silently hoping that the thing was dead, once and for all. She felt tired, physically and mentally. Even spiritually… She sighed and turned her back on the operating table, leaning against it. She buried her face in her hands, breathing deeply. Her own shaky breathing drowned out the sound of Kroenen's own inhaling.

By the time the rustle of plastic reached her ears, it was too late. She pulled her hands away from her face in time to feel cold metal pierce the skin of her neck. 'A knife?' she thought in sheer panic. No, it felt more like a needle. Then it felt like nothing at all. Her entire body went numb and her vision went dark.

'Emergency sedative. That's terrible.'

"Nn," Melissa grunted, bringing a hand up to rub her sore eyes. Her arm felt tingly, as if she'd been sleeping on it. In fact, she could feel pins and needles all over. 'Guess he was playing dead…' the shape-shifter rolled herself off the operating table, which hurt. She managed to sit up, surveying the area. No sign of Kroenen, Melissa felt the familiar cold touch of fear crawl across her skin.

She became a mouse and stumbled numbly out of the autopsy room. She had to get Hellboy; he was the only one who could help. It hurt; she kept stubbing her numb fingers and toes. Melissa feared the assassin appearing at any moment, but she continued towards Hellboy's room.

' "Dead or alive, that thing ain't going near my den,",' Hellboy's words reverberated through her little mouse brain. Melissa prayed that she would be able to find the great red ape before the Kroenen found her.

'I need speed,' the shape-shifter mused franticly, '…and silence.' The mouse dove to the ground, gliding across the smooth, tiled floor inaudibly as a dark green serpent. Venom would be ineffective on Kroenen; the clockwork Nazi had blood like sand, the poison would not be enough to kill him. Melissa wondered what could kill the assassin.

Testing the air with her forked tongue, Melissa tasted blood. Kroenen had killed. But whom had he killed? It had the air of human blood, was it one of the agents? Elizabeth Sherman? Melissa shuddered, 'Try not to think about it. Just focus on getting to Hellboy.'

Melissa slithered vertically down a metal pipe towards the fifty-first door. The door stood ajar for some reason, the shape-shifter slithered through, 'The smell is getting stronger, someone in here has been murdered…'

The girl stopped short, right at the ankles of the blonde she had sat beside on the bus. Ilsa looked down and jumped, "Ack! What is that snake doing here?" the blonde yelled angrily.

Melissa hissed reflexively, baring her pearly fangs. Ilsa's yelling had caught the attention of the other two people in the room. The shape-shifter sensed their presence, Kroenen, the bald man and the one who was murdered, Professor Broom. Melissa felt ill, 'He killed the professor… Clay, Moss, anyone, just please, not the professor. He's dead. He's dead! Hellboy…'

Melissa's serpentine body arched off the ground, growing in size. Two spotted, furry cheetah arms sprouted from either sides of her torso as she morphed into the fastest animal she could think of. Yellow and black fur sprouted even as she was in movement. Melissa darted past Ilsa and the bald man; her thoughts focused solely on reaching Hellboy.

Kroenen moved to cut her off, knives extended menacingly, blood from the murder of Professor Broom glistening on one metal blade. Melissa expertly stopped inches before the clockwork assassin. The shape-shifter roared, in pain, in anger, in frustration… 'I will never be rid of this curse.'

Kroenen was not moved, his soulless lenses glinting warningly. Melissa growled, crouching low. She sprung to the side and around Kroenen before he could react, 'I can't believe I got past him!'

Melissa bounded through the door and along the corridor, 'Hellboy… where are you…?'

The world rushed past in a blur, she could hear footsteps running after her.

'He killed the professor…'

The footsteps were getting louder, closer. She could hear the sound of the assassin's blades slicing through the air.

'Abe is wounded…'

The thick doors leading to Hellboy's den were only a few lunges away. Melissa leapt and dove downwards. The crack between the door and the floor magnified and her vision split into a multitude of tiny windows. The spider slid easily under the door and into Hellboy's den.

"Hellboy! Red! You have to help, there's…" Melissa's voice faded out to a squeak. The gaping hole in the wall seemed to laugh at her. Hellboy was gone. The professor was dead. Abe was incapacitated.

And she could hear the mechanical locks holding the door to Hellboy's den slowly clicking open.

Hey everybody! Sorry for the long update, exams have been hell.

Anyone wanting to contribute to the story, I'd love your ideas! I need ideas, lol. Just email me, my email is on my author page. Thanks all!

Tenku Greywords: Thanks for the comment! Glad you like it:)

Umbra the Dark: Hehe, glad the story came across as scary this time. Usually I'm hopeless! Thanks for the review!

MetalMyersJason: Oops, I guess I let it happen again. My bad. ;) Danke!

theshadowcat: Hmm, I'm trying to think of more ways to get Liz involved. I'll do my best :D thanks for the comments.

FlyingFish15: Danke! Whoops, my poor little bus passengers… hope none of you got too attached to the bus driver! ;) Tea-hee

Gestalt: Yes, cookies for Nightcaster :D I know she loves 'em. Thanks for the reviews!

Afrieal: Visualisation! Love it! Thanks for the kind words. ALL HAIL MIGNOLA! JA!

HLSWINGS: I WILL, DON'T WORRY:) Thanks muchly!

Thrior: Thank you! Yeah, I want shape shifting too. :D Fun times.

epalladino: Don't worry, I've been away for even longer, regrettably. :D Thanks! I've always found it fun to work new characters into existing plots and making connections with random things, like Kroenen killing Clay. Hehe. Thank you very much for the nice comments :)

Silver-Kalan: :) Thank you! I will keep writing as long as I don't run out of ideas, or time.

Gijinka Renamon: Thanks, I will

Goddess of Twilight: YES! I will join! I will be the minion of llamas and I shall own all of my little New Zealand! Aha:D I think it was the tea. Nightcaster will agree with me there. Tea and German chocolate! Tea-hee:)

boogalaga: Thank you so much for your appraising review of Mousy:D I'm so glad you find her a good character! You rule:)