Faith sat in a thin stretch of woods somewhere outside of the city. She
really had no clue where she was, but figured she could get back to
someplace familiar without a lot of effort. She still wasn't sure if
following the group from the tunnels was a good idea. The garbage truck
they'd climbed into the back of was easy enough for the slayer to follow
until it headed toward the bridge. She really wasn't sure if traffic
surfing on top of a clandestine government undercover garbage truck had
been one of her better ideas. The dark slayer grinned it had been fun when
she wasn't dodging cross members on that old bridge.
When she saw the first car of their caravan turn into a fenced compound Faith decided she didn't know enough about these people to risk sneaking into the facility at night. For all she knew it was some kind of army base or military compound. Now she looked across the street at the water pumping station. Now just what is the water authority doing with a garbage truck, a bunch of guys in black suits and big red demon with his horns shaved off?
A smile came to Faith's face as she envisioned the Scooby gang sitting around the table in the old school library all coming up with lame excuses why the water authority would need a garbage truck and a large red demon with his horns shaved off. She didn't smile at the excuses themselves because she really couldn't think of any but more of the bonding and silliness that her friends lived for. It was always amazing how after all this time she finally truly felt a part of the gang. Not just an ancillary member, like all the new slayers, but a charter member, a true Scooby, she finally found her niche among her only real friends. Real bonding took place when you walked into Hell with somebody.
A taxi stopped at the gate letting a woman in her mid to late twenties got out of the cab. She had shoulder length black hair held flat by a dark knit hat. She clutched the heavy navy peacoat she wore close as she approached a call box by the gate. She spoke into the old box and slid an ID card into a slot. The face of the box slid away revealing a high tech retinal scanner which the woman looked into briefly until it retracted back into the pillar and the face of the old call box slid back into place. Soon the front gate swung opened and she walked in.
What to do? Faith pondered the question. She was hungry and getting tired; she'd been up for nearly twenty four hours and she didn't want to just leave. Besides, how would she investigate? She could hunt for these people in the tunnels again, then what? Follow them back here again? What would that do? Too bad she couldn't just ask that Meyers guy from last night what the hell was going on and what the story with Mr. big and ugly was.
Why not? B. was the one about research and paranoia, Faith was the one about just walking in the front door and asking. Even before Faith finished her thought, she had already stepped out of the woods and was headed to the gate and the call box.
Special Agent John Meyers sat at his desk in the large open office area staring at his computer screen. He'd been sitting here trying to write his field report since getting back from the mission. He had to explain how the team had been going out every night for a mount to hunt vampires and never took swords or stakes with them, he had to explain how he got separated from his team and he had to explain how a civilian had to save and then allowed to leave without question. He couldn't do it, everything he wrote made himself sound like an incompetent goof and that girl, Faith, sound like some super hero. Plus it didn't help that everybody was avoiding him and when they weren't, they were trying not to laugh at him. Even Hellboy couldn't look him in the eye without suppressing laughter and Abe who wasn't on the mission was avoiding him.
The elevator had arrived a few minutes earlier and now Liz Sherman entered the open office area. Agent Meyers saw Liz walk in and stood to great her. She walked up to him and smiled.
Before he could say anything, she said. "Nice lipstick, but I think a lighter shade of red is more your color." At this the whole room burst into peels of laughter.
Meyers jumped to a nearby window between office areas and tried see his reflection in the glass. Sure enough dark red lipstick was smeared across his mouth where Faith had kissed him. "Thanks for telling me guys," he said as he grabbed some tissues from his desk and headed to the rest room while wiping his mouth. "I really appreciate it." Another round of laughter followed him down the narrow hall.
When Meyers returned to the office area everybody was gathered with Director Manning standing in the middle. They were obviously waiting form him.
"You have a visitor." Manning said in greeting. "A young woman calling herself Faith is asking for you at the gate."
"What?! There's no way she could have followed us."
"Never the less, she's here."
"Ah, well, I'll to see what she wants and try to get rid of her."
"No," Manning said then turned and pressed a button on the phone for security and said to the speaker. "Send her down." He looked back to Meyers. "Go meet her at the elevator and bring her directly to my office." Then to Hellboy who was sitting at one of the desks with his feet up. "I believe your breakfast is ready." He indicated the carts of eggs, bacon and pancakes now being pushed down the hall toward Hellboy's quarters.
Hellboy jumped to his feet and did a mock left handed salute. "Yes sir, I'll make myself scarce so as not to scare the little vampire hunter."
Faith walked through the empty pump house across a rich dark blue marble floor. The security guard motioned for her to stop when she was half way across so she was standing on a strange symbol of a hand clutching a sword. "Watch your hands and elbows." The old man said just as the floor dropped away beneath her.
To be continued......................
When she saw the first car of their caravan turn into a fenced compound Faith decided she didn't know enough about these people to risk sneaking into the facility at night. For all she knew it was some kind of army base or military compound. Now she looked across the street at the water pumping station. Now just what is the water authority doing with a garbage truck, a bunch of guys in black suits and big red demon with his horns shaved off?
A smile came to Faith's face as she envisioned the Scooby gang sitting around the table in the old school library all coming up with lame excuses why the water authority would need a garbage truck and a large red demon with his horns shaved off. She didn't smile at the excuses themselves because she really couldn't think of any but more of the bonding and silliness that her friends lived for. It was always amazing how after all this time she finally truly felt a part of the gang. Not just an ancillary member, like all the new slayers, but a charter member, a true Scooby, she finally found her niche among her only real friends. Real bonding took place when you walked into Hell with somebody.
A taxi stopped at the gate letting a woman in her mid to late twenties got out of the cab. She had shoulder length black hair held flat by a dark knit hat. She clutched the heavy navy peacoat she wore close as she approached a call box by the gate. She spoke into the old box and slid an ID card into a slot. The face of the box slid away revealing a high tech retinal scanner which the woman looked into briefly until it retracted back into the pillar and the face of the old call box slid back into place. Soon the front gate swung opened and she walked in.
What to do? Faith pondered the question. She was hungry and getting tired; she'd been up for nearly twenty four hours and she didn't want to just leave. Besides, how would she investigate? She could hunt for these people in the tunnels again, then what? Follow them back here again? What would that do? Too bad she couldn't just ask that Meyers guy from last night what the hell was going on and what the story with Mr. big and ugly was.
Why not? B. was the one about research and paranoia, Faith was the one about just walking in the front door and asking. Even before Faith finished her thought, she had already stepped out of the woods and was headed to the gate and the call box.
Special Agent John Meyers sat at his desk in the large open office area staring at his computer screen. He'd been sitting here trying to write his field report since getting back from the mission. He had to explain how the team had been going out every night for a mount to hunt vampires and never took swords or stakes with them, he had to explain how he got separated from his team and he had to explain how a civilian had to save and then allowed to leave without question. He couldn't do it, everything he wrote made himself sound like an incompetent goof and that girl, Faith, sound like some super hero. Plus it didn't help that everybody was avoiding him and when they weren't, they were trying not to laugh at him. Even Hellboy couldn't look him in the eye without suppressing laughter and Abe who wasn't on the mission was avoiding him.
The elevator had arrived a few minutes earlier and now Liz Sherman entered the open office area. Agent Meyers saw Liz walk in and stood to great her. She walked up to him and smiled.
Before he could say anything, she said. "Nice lipstick, but I think a lighter shade of red is more your color." At this the whole room burst into peels of laughter.
Meyers jumped to a nearby window between office areas and tried see his reflection in the glass. Sure enough dark red lipstick was smeared across his mouth where Faith had kissed him. "Thanks for telling me guys," he said as he grabbed some tissues from his desk and headed to the rest room while wiping his mouth. "I really appreciate it." Another round of laughter followed him down the narrow hall.
When Meyers returned to the office area everybody was gathered with Director Manning standing in the middle. They were obviously waiting form him.
"You have a visitor." Manning said in greeting. "A young woman calling herself Faith is asking for you at the gate."
"What?! There's no way she could have followed us."
"Never the less, she's here."
"Ah, well, I'll to see what she wants and try to get rid of her."
"No," Manning said then turned and pressed a button on the phone for security and said to the speaker. "Send her down." He looked back to Meyers. "Go meet her at the elevator and bring her directly to my office." Then to Hellboy who was sitting at one of the desks with his feet up. "I believe your breakfast is ready." He indicated the carts of eggs, bacon and pancakes now being pushed down the hall toward Hellboy's quarters.
Hellboy jumped to his feet and did a mock left handed salute. "Yes sir, I'll make myself scarce so as not to scare the little vampire hunter."
Faith walked through the empty pump house across a rich dark blue marble floor. The security guard motioned for her to stop when she was half way across so she was standing on a strange symbol of a hand clutching a sword. "Watch your hands and elbows." The old man said just as the floor dropped away beneath her.
To be continued......................