Disclaimer : Hellboy doesn't belonged to us. There I said it and if you don't believe me you can always ask Bookeater, I'm sure he's gonna tell you the same thing ... and if he doesn't, well don't believe him *^_^*
Rating : M just to be safe because eventually we'll have some scene of violence and because eventually we'll be dealing with mature subject matter.
This is "talking", this is 'thinking' and this is talking in foreign language.
Enjoy *^_^*
Hellboy - A place to belong
Chapter 2
Tom Manning is now sitting in his office, deep in the bowel of the BPRD's headquarter in New Jersey. The room is spotless save for a few stray papers on the featureless wooden desk. Brightly lit to compensate for the lack of windows, file holders took the entire length of both side walls, no photos decorating them save an extensive world map behind Manning. Also behind Manning in the left corner are two flagpoles one with the stars and stripes banner and the other in the colors of the BPRD. It gave an image of Spartan effectiveness crossing on the obsessive.
Manning can be seen talking on the phone, having a rather boring conversation with someone probably just as boring as himself. But the really interesting conversation wasn't held over the phone but with someone else, not that there was anyone else in the room. But if an omniscient entity ... well, if that entity happen to be some kind of no-life nerd with a fetish for fifty-ish necktie wearing businessman with a stick so far up is ass the he has no other choice but to sit strait, was bothering to check he would witness a very interesting scene, that of the conversation held between Tom Manning and himself.
It's common knowledge that in general, directors of any kind of important society are two faced important lying jerks, in the same categories as politicians, presidents, lawyers and all the greasy acne faced teenagers who got to the post of manager at McDonald by making 'employee of the month' four years in a row. Frankly those are the worst.
In the case of Manning, it's the two face part that is important. He's the kind of person that often have extensive discussion with himself and don't really question his sanity because they have heard somewhere that it was a sign of intelligence. We'll call this "intelligent" part of Tom Manning : Inner Manning.
And the conversation goes like this: "... and thank your wife for the tie she gave me this Christmas at the consortium party, I really appreciated it ((Yeah, you can tell her it's so ugly that you want to hang yourself with it.)) ... No, I don't think I can come for that little diner with the consul ((The only thing worst than her taste in gift it's the one of her cooking.)) It's a little hectic right now at the Bureau ... yes ... yes, the three are coming back. The special agent I personally dispatched manage to negotiated something ... what kind of demand? ((My head, mostly)) Well for one they insist on having a badge ((Of all the things!)) ... Yes a badge ... No, he didn't had one before ... Why? Well we always thought that giving one was ..." he finish uncomfortably.
Soon, the conversation took a more serious turn. "... I can't disclose this information, it's top secret ... that matter is going to be discuss when they're going to be here ... You can be sure of if, it won't go the way the Board wants ((More like he's going to make Swiss cheese out of the Board if I let him hear what they wanted to do ... Good God, they are mad men and I am there leader.))
A pop-up message on his computer screen made him stop the conversation.
"Ah! It seem that their plane has arrived. I must go ... It's always a pleasure to talk with you ((Mister my double D wife who used to be an escort. Jerk.))". He put down the receiver and made is way out of his office. ((He's not any better than those xenophobe on the board. God ... Sometime I hate my job.))
Waiting at the entrance of the hangar bay were a bunch of agents, lawyer and other representatives ((Woopidoo. I get a bunch of muscle goons, a handful of sharks and some canon fodders. Like that's going to stop him from caving my teeth in.)). It's not that Manning hated Hellboy, it's just that they did not see eye to eye because of their jobs. Hellboy got the dangerous part and I have the administrative one.
'At first, I thought that he was just a dog train to do a few trick that you could sick on the rabid mongrels out there and call heel whenever I liked'. But it wasn't. 'Since Hellboy saved my life, I began to see him in a new light, he's a person just like every other agents under my command. I know of all the thing that plagued him and since the day he left on the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, I got even more time to think about them. Heck for a time I thought that it was best for them to live their own life. ((But it made ours like a living hell!))
'Oh, shut up ! Well I think I did a pretty good job when I secretly send that report on the Vatican to Krauss. It was just what he needed to go and convince them. ((I'm a regular Weyoun.))
'Now that he's back, I'll be able to breath a little. I'll finally repay him. I'm gonna help the three of them with all I got! ... If only he wasn't so hard to approach! It's not like I wanted to leave him to die but I needed to consider every possibility ... I could not risk the lives of all mankind like that. I could not make plan fast enough, there's rules and protocol to follow. Well, I am the rule around and things are going to change.' ((Tom Manning is on the case!))
I fidget with my tie while waiting for the plane to come to a stop. I lean toward the chief executive of the board. "I knew he would return. I tell you, when Tom manning is on the case, things get done." ((Yes, that's a good show of my authority.))
And every agents standing behind Manning rolled their eyes.
The ramp accosted the plane and the door opened. The first one to step out was Abraham Sapien. He strolled down the stairs with an unreadable expression on his face. Not something that's really hard to achieve in his case since he got a fish face. He's one of the best in the Bureau when it come to conceal emotions and would do a killing at the weekly poker night in the storage rooms of the sector B3. Well, that changed since Krauss got here. You CAN'T beat a poker face like that and the guy from internal affair believes he's cheating, but he suspects everyone, professional de-formation I guess.
The second was Elisabeth Sherman. Gone were the skin tight pants with the Kevlar jacket, they made place to more appropriate pregnancies clothing. She decided to keep her hair short and was still wearing her cross pendent. She was of those women who embellished in pregnancy and was almost glowing. Well, she would probably seem glowing if she wasn't shimmering with annoyance. The flight has apparently aggravated her mood and seemed to be ready to bite off the head of anyone who might point it out to her. The only fitting comparison would be a growling rottweiler that just came back from a very unpleasant visit to the vet only to find the accursed mailman on it's territory ... Oh! and it breath fire.
Next, was the ectoplasmic Johann Krauss, their expert medium who manage to convince the stranded trio to open negotiation. He descended the ramp with few hisses from his brown suit and loud clanks from his boots. Nothing ever changed much about him, except for his mood and the patterns of the wrinkle on his suit. He immediately made his way toward the welcoming comity but his approach was ignored in favour of the figure emerging from the plane.
There he was, the red horned giant who needed to pass sideway in the door. He disembark from the metal bird like a would be roman conqueror who didn't need an armour to simulate a six pack. He was the same as the day he quit the force, wearing only his boots, leather pant and BPRD coat. His posture was a little constrain as if he knew that he's going to deal with a situation as unpleasant as having to deal with the neighbour who blasting death metal at two in the morning and if doesn't shut it, it's gonna get ugly.
Not he cowering dog they were expecting, coming home with his tail between his legs like they hoped, begging to be taken back. This really unsettled them. The proof that they didn't knew him as well as they thought. Manning was not impressed, having dealt with him more often than the other member of the administrating staff that seldom met him.
The only thing that betrayed Hellboy nervousness was the slight twitch in his tail. Only his closest friends knew about it. Or so he thought, after all he never found out how the guys at poker night always seem to know when he held a good hand.
"Mister Manning, agent Krauss reporting", he said with a salute. "The ex-agents Hellboy, Sherman and Sapien are now here to negotiate their reinstitution in the rank of the BPRD, as you ordered sir."
"Thank you Krauss," turning toward the wayward agents "and in the name of the BPRD, I would like to welcome you all back to the agency" expressed Manning in his most official voice.
"We're not back yet," cut Hellboy's gruff voice. "As far as I know nothing's been signed or officionalized, right ?"
"Yes, of course!"
They were starring at each others not really in defiance but more in acknowledgement of each other. Both had more than they wished on their plates and the diner was about to begin. They at least understood that from each other.
"Well, I'm sure that your journey was a long and tiring one. I would like to invite everyone in the conference room after our guess have refresh themselves, let's say ... in two hours. Your old lodging are at your disposition. Members of the staff will be escorting you, their presence is deplorable but necessary under the circumstances." said Manning in a hurry thus stopping the prostrations of an administrator about the use of the facility ((The fool is obviously not a negotiator)).
Manning knew that a good negotiator, like a good orator, brings is audience in a comfortable situation were they fell relaxed. He didn't want to pressure them into accepting term they did not feel comfortable with. No, he needed to make them come back in the boat by their own accord. After their return, we will be able to worry about other things and they will be more willing to listen. He knew that, it was his job after all.
"Hellboy" he said before the other left "would you come to my office. Alone."
That slightly surprised Hellboy because as far as he knew, Manning had always tried to meet him with other people around. None the less he accepted, after giving a reassuring squeeze to Liz's hand, he followed Manning.
Hellboy rarely went into the director's office, not that he dislike the place, it's just that most of the interaction he had with Manning were held in the 'workplace' of the Bureau, such as the conference room, the labs, the armoury, etc. ...
Professor Broom was particularly fond of the library when it came to dispatching missions. Every team leaders were given files and debriefed about the upcoming assignments while sitting in the comfy couches and recliners. Manning often complained about the lack of tables like in a real conference room and would ask just as often why they didn't use one, after all that's what a conference room is for. As usual, his father would answer in a cryptic fashion that annoyed the hell out Manning. When Hellboy ask him why, he told him that the informal setting help relax the atmosphere and promoted a felling of familiarity and companionship amongst the agents. After the professor's death, the library returned to it's primary use.
Thinking about this father brought a pang of pain in his chest. Two years and a half and he still missed him. The pride he would have felt to present him with grand-children ... he rapidly shoved those thoughts aside, for now was not the time for reminiscence but to face the present.
They entered the office closing the door behind them, leaving a slack jawed secretary sitting at her desk. A pretty young brunette that Hellboy didn't recognise, apparently new judging from her reaction. She was probably named Janine or something along those lines. Hellboy saw a lot of secretaries passing through the administration and in general he never bothered to learn their name. They all sounded the same anyway.
Our no-life trans-dimensional omniscient being was/is/will still watching Manning's office. Time and location are irrelevant when you're omniscient. It's like an employee watching a crappy webcam live reality show on is computer to make his boss think he's working. He doesn't give a shit that he should be working and wish to be elsewhere rather than being stuck here watching this crap. Being omniscient is like that but you also have to watch the intro, the development, the ending, the credits, the bloopers and that $#!+¥ making-of, where all the cast says what they where thinking, feeling and what their motivation was, when you know full well that their career is never gonna get past the lousy commercial, B-movie and porno, which you know, is playing on the other channel and that you would much rather watch the porno. But you can't, because the boss installed a filter on the internet. So you're stuck watching crap and that's why our see/know it all is looking at Manning's office, it's really sad actually. Next time you see your omniscient friend, show him your support and appreciation for his work, thank you.
Back in the room with our two protagonist, we can see Manning reclining in his chair pinching the bridge of his nose. Hellboy could see all the stress and the fatigue the director was hiding earlier and he seem to be muttering something to himself. He look up at Hellboy and straighten himself up, the moment of weakness had pass. Hellboy understood that he was allowed to witness it, after all it is not something you show to your enemies. It was some kind of white flag asking for a cease fire. Hellboy was uncomfortable with the notion, having considered the other man like a nuisance for so long. He tried to cover his discomfort by responding to the flag by adopting a more relax posture and stop scolding like a tiger that's eyeing another male who loitering just over the limit of it's territory.
'Ok, you want to talk, I'll listen', thought Hellboy.
Manning was still staring at Hellboy, like a man who went through a lot troubles and clearly had blame the one standing in front of him for it, but now he's gone past wanting to put the blame anyone realising how pointless it is.
Hellboy send him a glance that meant : At the time I wanted you to go trough all that and now that I've seen your kicked down face I kindda feel bad, but I'm not going to apologize for it.
Manning responded in a similar fashion : I'm not expecting you too but I'm now considering that might not be such a bad idea to ...
That got him a stern glare from Hellboy that clearly said : Ok, say it and I'm going back to "make a Picasso out of your face" mode.
"Your depart wasn't easy ((Ok, I sound like we're a divorced couple)). Numbers of problems arose, as you surely know, and we are still dealing with your ... new exposure to the public. The crisis with the Golden Army was averted but those that fallowed ... were harder to deal with once you were gone", Manning said uncertain and clearly weighting his words.
Hellboy cross his arms and shift his weight onto his other leg in a motion that invited Manning to continue.
"The situation escalated to the point where I can't damper the damage anymore. We need the machine to go smoothly again or the consequences will be disastrous."
'Translation', Hellboy thought, 'it's getting out of hand and you risk to lose your job. And if you loose your job, it's equals trouble for us, isn't it ? You're a bastard but you're also the only one who won't stab us in the back. You may be a bastard but you're one with a conscience. You owe me your life you intend to pay me back in your own way. Ok bastard, show me what you got.'
"There's always been peoples who disapproved and opposed our policies regarding various issues and threats we deal with regularly." Continued Manning. "And those who are more radical have begun to conglomerate their position and some of the other parties are inclining toward them in view of the recent event. ((Bunch of suckass xenophobes. I'm may be scare of him but I don't hate him for what he is. I just resent him for the half bottle of Pepto-Bismol I take every day.))
"If we don't reassure the indecisive ones and sway them back in our good grave, I fear the outcome. After what some of the scientists suggested ..." said Manning with an unconscious shiver at the thought.
"I realized now, that having such elements in our own team is undermining our position but can't not fire them on the account that we don't like how they think. They are still the best in their field and we need them on a daily basis ((If we could do that, all the assholes would have been given the boot a long time ago))."
Hellboy stop himself from pointing out that Manning would probably have been amongst of the first one out.
"But we can shut up those, those ... fanatical bigots and scalpel-happy white coats and put them in their place."
Hellboy raised an eyebrow at that. It was rare to see Manning this passionate about something. He wondered what they did to reel him like that.
"But ... I can't do it alone." Manning said deflating. "If you and the others go there alone they'll swarm you with laws, rules and restrictions, you won't even be able to breathe. I know it won't work, you live to break the rules, you can't help it. The difference with them will be the consequences and I don't want to be a part of what they are planning ((I won't))."
Manning paused at that.
"I want to work with you so that I can regain my credibility with the higher ups and put an end to the panic. The world doesn't turn correctly without us and I feel that it is my responsibility to ensure that the agents under my jurisdiction can do their jobs without someone throwing a wrench in the gears. So if some of my agents find themselves under threats, it is my duty to make sure that they don't end up their back to a corner.
"It's how I see it, but for that we need to put aside our differences for now. They would certainly use the fact that we don't always see eye to eye as an excuse to replace me if we argue in front of them. It would benefits us both if we'd agreed to act civilize toward each others for the time of the negotiations ?"
Hellboy could not have been more flabbergasted, well perhaps if Manning would have start to Riverdance in a pink tutu on hot coals. Hellboy his a lot of things and one of them is being good at reading between the lines. Seeing underneath the underneath of peoples. Behind all that selfish obnoxious speech there was the only thing that he never thought he would hear from Manning : an apology. In his awkward and twisted way, Manning was apologizing. It would probably take a crowbar to pry more out of him and even death threats would not make him admit it but Manning was trying to make it up to him the best he can.
Hellboy did not came here today with the intention of getting an apologies, official or not. Today, Manning just gave Hellboy the best reason to trust him. Their feud is far from over and as soon as the negotiation will be over the white flags will be forgotten, but right now it didn't matter, Hellboy had agree to help him.
At that Manning respond, "Good, you can tell the others, we'll begin shortly".
He take his phone and dial is secretary. "Kathleen, remind everyone they are expected in the conference room at four." He took a pause as Hellboy exit his office, "And get me a cappuccino."
One could describe the next few hours of negotiation as a game of chess where two masters played not with pieces but with carefully chosen words. The verbal jousting of two knights dancing around each others. The pawns of arguments crashing against the others defences in hope to make it the queen of all reasons. Bishops articles are slide in between the lines of the contract to corner the king of absolute control only to realize that he just been rooked. In the end the two masters realized that they were facing off a worthy adversary and felt content, whether they win or lose.
BULL. SHIT.
It was a re-enactment of World War One in there. It was messy, every one was bitching, not wanting to give an inch of terrain and many were real close to insult someone's mother. After each battles they were left battered, wounded but mostly bitter and angry. Some of the arguments went as followed.
If you would be happening to stand right outside the room, you would be able to tell that things weren't going all that well when Hellboy's voice was making itself being heard in a very loud fashion.
"You can take your crappy exigencies on your crappy paper on shove it up your crap hole !"
And then you know that thing where going really bad when …
"¥øų /!++/3 ρ!3‹3 ø∫ $#!+"
… when it was Abe that was heard swearing.
And of course there were those who tried to calm thing down.
"If I could just say …" began Krauss, only to be cut in a most rude manner by both parties. "Shut up !"
Because they've skip dinner (and second dinner in Hellboy's case), everyone became a bit cranky. Kathleen, Manning's secretary, had the glorious idea to bring a few boxes of donuts for the group, thinking it would help … bad move. Especially when two persons on opposite side of the board decided they wanted the last of the jelly donut. The previous talk were noting in comparison, neither would back down and saw other's insistence as a mortal insult … at least until someone said something he shouldn't have.
Liz was left alone sitting on charred remain of what was once a chair glairing at the wall. The inferno she was, made a sauna feel like a freezer. Meanwhile, the others were huddled outside the room, carefully checking if it was safe to come back or if they should stick to cover. Hellboy lower himself toward the lawyer who was trying to extinguish his smouldering toupée. "You had to say something about her weight, didn't you ?".
After a few hours, lots of coffee, some snide remark about someone sexual preferences, just as many comeback about somebody's mother and litres of sweat ((Miss. solar flare toasted the ventilation damn it !)) they manage to come to an agreement … and a new chair.
"Ok, lets go over the principal points one last time before we finish this", said uninteresting lawyer number one as the others agreed to his suggestion, wanting to get this over with once and for all. "First, the ex-agents Hellboy, Elizabeth Sherman and Abraham Sapien return to the BPRD will be without any reprimands, punishments and/or sanctions. From now on, all agents who desire to quit and/or retire will have to pass trough the proper channels and sign all the legal documents."
"Next, special agent Sapien will receive the status of honorary human", continued uninteresting lawyer number two.
"The agents Hellboy and Sapien will receive a salary along with all of their previous accommodations. Agent Sherman will keep the wage she had before and will have right to a maternity leave." Specified a female consultant that seem somewhat pleased that women's right were upheld. Contrary of the others, this one was interesting, because no pretty woman in her late-twenties that wear such a short skirt with legs like that can't be uninteresting.
Lawyer number two took back the speech, "To follow on that line, personal requests such as remote control drapes for agent Sapien's aquarium for greater intimacy. A non-armoured door for the living quarters of the agents Hellboy and Sherman as a sign of trust. ((Good, it's gonna cost a lot less to change the door when our local Osborn have a spite. Even if I buy those thing in bulk they still cost more than a Ferrari, for [#я!$+ $4ж3)), along with a separate bathroom for agent Sherman."
"On a more important matter" said lawyer number one, who's also the juridic advisor of the Bureau, "The contract stipulate that no experiment whatsoever shall be performed on the children unless of a medical emergency. Also the BPRD commit itself to protect the present and future children of all special agents working for the BPRD from any physical and psychological harm."
The director of human resources, now known as 'burned toupée', took speech on the matter, "The children will be under the jurisdiction of the parents. But considering the nature of the children they will stay at the BPRD's facilities until their majority. They can leave the premises under the supervisions a parent and/or tutors and followed by a discrete escort of agents.
"The children shall be provided with food, lodging and education up to a high school degree until their majority. If eventually they choose to work for the BPRD, they shall receive all benefits that come with the title of agent. If they opt for a civilian life, the BPRD will help in the finding of proper lodging, employment and/or further education in any field."
"The said majority of the children shall be determined by both their physical and psychological growth." continued lawyer number one.
"On to another topic, there will be an increase in the number of special agents. BPRD will be on look-out for any possible recruit, thus augmenting the number of agents at it's disposition." fallowed lawyer number two. "While, we doubt the cost effectiveness of this endeavour, we happen to know of some elements that are under our care that could prove useful to us. Normally, such elements wouldn't be cooperative but I'm sure that the agent Hellboy would be able to convince them, wouldn't you ?"
Hellboy could only glare at the coy smile and his tone of voice that seem to imply something. Just the type of guy that one would wish to shut up ... with a stick ... in is face.
"We already have a list of such individual, that we believe could be an asset." cut the interesting councillor.
"Err... yes", continued the director of human resources. "The composition of the new teams will be left to the director of field operation Miss. Corrigan and to you agent Hellboy in capacity of team leader. If help is required, an assistant shall be put to your disposition.
"The agent Hellboy will also receive the privilege to recruit candidate directly on the field and will be given the opportunity screen the reports of sighting and captures for possible recruitment. The board will reserve itself the right to screen every application and will have a right of veto on who makes it on the main team."
"I'm sure you will", replied Hellboy with displeasure.
Liz and Krauss promptly kicked him in the shin under the table. It was an important point and they didn't want Hellboy's temper to blow it up again.
"Well, we seem to have brush all of the important points. The details are in the contract and if there is no other litigations that need to be addressed, I say we sign this and conclude this meeting." said the boring lawyer number one while applying is signature before passing the contract to Manning.
Once Manning put is griff on it, it to Liz and Abe. The contract slowly continued is round before ending in front of Hellboy and as he was about to put pen to paper, he pause seeming to remember something important.
"What about the badge ?" he ask.
"Yes, you'll have your badge", responded Manning, who was inwardly rolling his eyes, having dealt with this question for many years now. ((Just sign the damn thing already. You got what you wanted. Hurry ! Hurry! Hurry! I want to get out of here. We've been sitting in here for hour. God, I need to take a shit. Sign it ! Sign it ! Sign it ! SIGN IT !))
Satisfied, Hellboy finally put is signature, thus concluding a long evening.
Hellboy turn toward Abe and Liz and said, "Why do I feel that I'm the one who signed with the devil ?"
And for what you've all been waiting for : Author Note *^_^*
From Bookeater : Ouf! Sorry it took so long. I promise more action soon. See ya in the next chapter.
From Shiroyuki : Hi everybody ! Hi doctor Nick!
Sorry, about that, it's just that I always wanted to say that *^_^*
Yes, it took us a while before getting this chapter done, but I guess that what happen when we get together to work on this only once a week. DAMN YOU LIFE FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF GREAT ART. (I shouldn't be exaggerating like u_u it's not good for the ego.)
Ok enough, about me let's go back to the fic.
Bookeater and I put a hint about Manning's secret passion and if you can find it ... you get a COOKIE *^_^*
Oh, and review are always welcome.
See ya *^_^*