Infiltration

Yay! Review! Yeah, crazy guys can be fun. So, back to the Anne storyline, and now our team infiltrate the BPRD.

Many hours later Karl pulled to a stop at the side of the street.

"From here, we go on foot," he said, getting out of the car and opening the boot for Sammael.

The beast leapt out and began sniffing the ground. It raised its head and growled.

Karl pointed at a building half hidden behind high railings. It was at this that Sammael was growling.

"The BPRD," he said quietly.

"How will we get in?"" Joe asked, "That gate seems pretty formidable."

"Most of the complex is underground. When I was last here, I prepared a way in when we left. If we're lucky, it'll still be there."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we'll do this the hard way."

"Hier, Here. " Karl said, stopping by the railings and pointing to the pavement. It seemed no different than any other of the flagstones that made up the surface and Joe regarded it with a skeptical eye.

"Sammael, auf heben, lift " the Nazi ordered, and the great beast came forward and sunk its claws into the cracks between the stones. With a creak and the sound of stone on stone, the slab began to move upwards, revealing a gaping hole leading down into the dark depths. Sammael held the flagstone steady as Karl leapt down, quickly followed by Hai-Tsan. Joe hesitated, afraid to jump into the unknown, but Sammael looked at him with something like reproach in its eyes, and a hint of hunger in its posture, so he gulped, and closing his eyes, leapt into the darkness.

Joe didn't fall quite as far as he had expected too, but the impact with the ground still jarred up through his legs painfully. He got to his feet and looked around. Karl and Hai were waiting for him a few feet up the passage. It was fashioned of weathered wood and looked as though it had been neglected for several years, if not longer. Yellow lights flickered, ay times plunging the corridor into half darkness.

The other two were already setting off, and Joe ran to catch up. The Nazi looked back and forth, deep in thought, and Hai had a preoccupied expression which meant that he was mentally scanning the area. Joe would have joined him in doing so, but his grasp on his powers wasn't good enough to do that and keep walking at the same time.

There was a thud from behind, and Joe turned to see Sammael dropping down to land heavily on the floor. The metal beneath its feet dented slightly, and the creature followed its master with slow steps.

Before long, they discovered the first of the BPRD's agents, a female guard who whipped out two pistols as soon as she saw them, snapping off a few shots. Karl darted out of the way and returned fire with one of his own Magnums, accurately hitting the guard's head, causing it to explode. Joe's stomach turned at the sight. Karl casually walked over to the corpse and picked up the two pistols which he tossed to Joe, who almost dropped them, before stuffing them into the pockets of his coat.

As they turned the next corner, Hai froze, and pushed them back. Moments later a group of agents hurried past, obviously hurrying toward the sound of the gunshots, and Joe let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Sammael crouched beside him, growling softly, wanting to attack.

"Ausdaur wait (lit. be steadfast) Sammael," Karl said softly, one arm outstretched as if to hold the creature back.

Before long Sammael got his wish. The BPRD was crawling with guards, and they had to kill several more before they reached Professor Bruttenholm's old office. Hai opened the door a fraction.

"It hasn't changed since we were last here Hai," Karl said in a whisper.

True. They must have preserved it in homage to the old man.

"Sammael," Karl told the beast, "Du musst der Schaffner ausnehmen das Hellboy aus gesprochen hat. You need to take out that guard Hellboy talked of.> "

What do the rest of us do?

"You and I will keep him occupied. Joe, you will have to overload his mind and knock him unconscious."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Think painful thoughts."

They stepped into the room, Sammael leaping straight for a stunned guard, the Empaths flanking Karl, Hai on the right, Joe on the left. A figure appeared in the glass fronted tank before them. It was Abe, surprise and anxiety written on his features. Joe gasped, probably amazed at the fish-man's appearance, thought Karl.

Without waiting for Abe to make the first move, the Nazi opened his mind and pushed out his thoughts. All of his wide experience of death and pain, torture and evil flooded into the mer-man, sending him reeling. Hai joined him, the Chinaman projecting some of his own worst memories; sickness, plague and the bitter pain of scorn.

Joe hesitated, seemingly unsure, but just as Karl was about to say something, did as he'd been told, opening his mind too, and broadcasting his own moments of pain. Karl suppressed the urge to take a quick mental look; as long as they did the job it didn't matter.

Under the combined weight of the Empaths' worst experiences Abe was slowly forced into unconsciousness. He tried to put up a fight, but it was to no avail. Karl felt a sudden release of pressure as the fish-man finally slipped into darkness, unable to face the pain and anguish of their memories.

The Nazi turned from Abe's still form and began to search for the time machine. His eyes swept the room, looking for anything that seemed remotely high tech, but there was nothing. It didn't help that he had no idea what to look for, but anything out of place in the old-fashioned area…

He began to walk round the room, running his hand over the antique bookcases, the valuable ornaments, and the wood-paneled walls letting it come to rest on a photocopier sitting on an oak table near the glass front of Abe's home. Now why would there be a photocopier in this room if it was a homage to Bruttenholm especially one this new and un-used.

"I think we've found our time machine!" he called to the others.

:D Hope you enjoyed that. R & R please!