At first, everything was black. Radais slowly began to regain some form of consciousness, accessing thought and memory. Sudden, radical realization that she could still be in the tunnel, the strange creature still breathing over her, made her open her eyes.
Everything was white. This definitely wasn't the tunnel. Without much sleuthing, Radais deduced that she was either in heaven or in a hospital. Given that her head was pounding with a headache and her back was stiff, she leaned toward the side of the hospital. But where? How had she gotten out of the tunnel?
In order to confirm her theory that this was in fact the hospital, Radais forced herself into a sitting position.
"Oh, bad idea," she said. Her head swam, threatening to pull her back into unconsciousness, and her back stiffened and almost buckled from misuse.
A nurse, who must have been standing close by, heard her and rushed to her side. "Oh Dear, don't do that, lie down please. Doctor Krauss!"
The sounds of heavy boots on tiled floors caught Radais' attention and halted her protests that she could sit up if she wanted too, thank you very much.
Through the doorway came a very large suit. It reminded Radais of old-time diver suits, like the one from old Scooby-Doo shows. A glass dome, where the head should have been, was filled with a smoke-like substance.
"Greetings, Radequdais. My name is Dr. Johann Krauss. I'm pleased to meet you," the suit said in a thick German accent. He waved the nurse away and she left, her face nervous.
"The pleasure is all mine. Um, how do you know my name?"
"We know a great deal about you. We spoke with a Mr. Gregory Orville. Your adoptive father, I presume. He called your cell phone."
"Yes. Please, where am I?"
"New Jersey. A classified location. Currently, in the hospital of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense."
"Can I go home?"
"Well," the suit paused, "We have an offer that you might want to consider. You are a rare creature. Half kelpie, half elf. You are a creature of prophecy."
"The Warmonger," Radais growled bitterly, "Yes, I know. The whole point of living with Greg was to keep me away from that, so that I could live a normal life."
"Well, I've got news, Shorty. There's no 'getting away' from this." A new player entered the room. He was tall, slender, and muscular, with an angular jaw and blue-green skin. Dark blue and brown stripes populated his face and arms, and fins and gills sprawled on his neck and forearms.
Fishman. Hmm…What crawled up his butt? Radais thought. "So what am I to do, if I can't get away from it?" she directed at the suit.
"We want you to join our team. You'll receive training and housing, and all we ask in return is that you help the Elite Team fight against the bad guys, do some research, and make yourself a useful part of the team."
"What's the catch?" Radais growled.
"At some point, you will have to face your destiny," said the fishman gruffly.
Radais bit her lip. For so long, all she had wanted was to get away from the prophecy that was breathing down her neck. She had wanted to be normal. But maybe this was her chance to fulfill her adventurer and her wanderer. Maybe this could be home. She glanced at the fishman, who was remarkably handsome for being so different. Radais stared at her hands, touched her ears, and opened her mouth. "You're right," she started, "But I am a conditional participant. If I start not likin' it, I'm out. Got it?"
"Deal," Krauss said.
The fishman grimaced. He withdrew a small, hand-held radio. "Stark, report to hospital. Your girl's up," he said into it.
"Ten-four, Abe. I'll be there shortly," Said a female voice over the radio.
"Radequdais, we'll go inform the rest of the team. Stark will get you showered, dressed, and in your room, and then you'll come to the office. Try not to dally," Krauss said, turning.
"Radais, please," she said.
"I beg your pardon?" Krauss asked, turning. The fishman turned as well.
"I go by Radais. It's a bit more optimistic."
"Why?" the fishman asked, showing signs of a personality.
"It means Peace Hound. A bit better than Warmonger, don't you think?"
The fishman said nothing, and both he and Krauss left the room.
"My, what charming people," Radais snorted. She glowered at the door as it shut and bit her lip. The IV in her left arm itched and she took it out gently, careful not to get blood on the bedsheets or the floor. She let the fluid from the bag, probably a mix of electrolytes and plasma, drip onto the pillow and stood carefully. She also took off the heart rate monitor on her finger, thinking that it better not leave a permanent imprint. After another moment, she grew restless and got out of the bed, appraising her hospital gown. It was longer than the ones on TV, and it didn't let her bare ass show, which was something she had always heard people complain about. She stretched, running her hands down her smooth, tan legs and then reaching up toward the ceiling (as if she could touch it, being as short as she was). Her back popped in several places, making her groan.
"Darling, I know you're not out of bed without the doctor's permission."
Radais turned at the sound of the pleasant, sassy voice. The speaker was a tall woman, a brunette, with kind brown eyes and a curly smile. She was standing in the doorway, a towel in one hand and a big bag of soaps, shampoos, and perfumes in the other. Radais glanced at her arm, a black bruise had begun forming where she had removed the IV, and then guiltily at the woman.
"It's Radais. Sorry. I don't like being cooped up like that," she apologized.
The woman laughed pleasantly, showing perfect white teeth. She waltzed forward, with a grace that Radais could only accomplish in her dreams, and handed the towel to the little half-breed. "Not to worry, Dear. I'm Regina Stark, call me Reggie. My husband, Stephan, and I live on base, and we're your Adjustment Coordinators. Steve is finishing your room as we speak, so first, how's a shower sound?"
"Wonderful. How long have I been here, anyway?"
"Only two days. You're a quick healer," Reggie said, taking Radais' un-bruised arm and guiding her out into the halls, "Lucky too, that beast almost sent you into next week, if you know what I mean. Good thing Hellboy was there to save you."
"Who?"
"Hellboy," Reggie said matter-of-factly, turning the corner into a locker room type place, lined with lockers and wooden benches, "He's pretty much the reason the BPRD is around. It was his adoptive father who started this whole thing."
"Interesting," Radais mused as Reggie set the towel and bathroom-bag on one of the benches, "So, any reason in particular he saved me? You all seem pretty excited that I'm here. The fishman was practically bouncing."
"That's Dr. Abraham Sapien. He's kind of been a stick in the mud lately. But I shouldn't gossip, he's a very valuable member of the team," Reggie spouted as she ushered Radais to a glass shower.
Radais nodded lightly, distracted by the see-through monstrosity in front of her. "There's none with, um, walls?"
Reggie laughed lightly. "Relax, kiddo, no one will peak. We all know the rules around here. Hurry and shower, and I'll run and grab you some clothes. What's your favorite color?"
I have clothes here?
"Um, purple," she muttered distractedly.Reggie nodded and ran off, leaving Radais to shower in plain view of the public. Radais tore off the hospital gown after fighting with the strings for a moment and got in the shower, turning the hot water all the way up and letting the steam cloud the glass.
The knots in her back and neck untangled as the water coursed over her, leaving the girl relaxed and in a better mood. Radais washed herself with soap that smelled like strawberries and her hair with the matching shampoo, and after she was satisfied that she was free of any remnants of hospital dirt, she ditched the shower.
"This is convenient," she said under her breath, upon realizing that the towel was still on the bench, 10 or 15 feet away, out in the open. Biting her lip, she scrambled to the bench and dove on the fluffy white terrycloth, quickly wrapping it around herself in a dress-like fashion.
A laugh erupted from close by and Radais spun, sending water droplets from her wet hair flying. Reggie was leaning on a locker, her brunette hair in a ponytail, a pair of jeans slung over her shoulder and a few pieces of indistinguishable cloth in her hand.
"I hope these fit," she said, "Greg wasn't much help with the wardrobe situation."
Radais snorted in disdain, assuming that Reggie was yet another who spoke to her father while Radais was out cold in the hospital bed. She took the clothes, appraising them piece by piece. The thong was skimpy and the bra matched, both made mostly of red silk and lace ribbon. Radais slipped them on reluctantly, followed by the kind of baggy jeans and the purple baby doll t-shirt.
"Do you like them?" Reggie asked, peering at the girl from behind her hand.
"The jeans could fit better. But then, I don't think jeans are a good choice for monster fighting."
"Oh, you've got several pairs of yoga pants for that. Liz suggested them, it's what she uses."
"Cool, I guess. Do I want to be wearing what 'Liz' wears?" Radais quizzed, raising an eyebrow at the woman as she attempted to fix the hem of the violet neoprene-y shirt.
"Sure, she's the only other girl on the Elite team, so I would take stock in what she says."
Radais nodded and proceeded to wring out her dripping blonde hair. Water pooled on the floor under her bare feet and she shook it off, much like how a cat would, glaring at the dark puddle.
"Alright, here's a pair of flip-flops, they'll do you for now," Reggie said, tossing a pair of dark leather sandals at Radais' feet, "Follow me. Manning has called a very important meeting in your honor."
"Wouldn't want to disappoint him," Radais growled.
Reggie glared back at the girl gravely as she lead her out of the locker room and down into the maze of corridors. She flared her nostrils. "No, you really wouldn't. He'll have your ass kicked out faster than you can say 'Peace Out', and that's no exaggeration. You better prove yourself to be useful."
"Um, except I'm pretty sure it was him that wanted me to be part of the team so badly, not the other way around," Radais snapped, flexing the muscles in her back and shoulders.
"I'm just sayin'," Reggie giggled. She clearly didn't play favorites between her employers and clientele, so to speak.
Reggie lead Radais on a ten-minute journey through several corridors, lined with what looked like sheet metal or stainless steel. Every fifty feet or so, there would be a tall glass tank, filled with water and lighted by a bright blue light. Each tank held an artifact or preserved body. Some of the things were very interesting, such as a shriveled kappa or a piece of the Titanic. Each tank had a small brass plate, stating what it artifact was, where it was discovered and who it was discovered by. Radais peered into each with curious, sparkling eyes.
"They're somethin', aren't they?" Reggie asked when Radais made a hushed comment about how neat a particular cluster of crystals was.
"What? Oh, oh yes, they're wonderful. Some of this stuff I've read about, but never thought it was real. I mean, a kappa, for goodness sakes!"
Reggie just laughed and kept walking, and Radais followed quickly, for fear of being left behind. The pair arrived at an ominous-looking door and Reggie stopped, telling Radais that the meeting would be low-key, not many people would be there, and everything would be fine, not to worry.
"Most of these people are just like you," she said, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder, "You'll find you'll be right at home here."
"I hope so," Radais grunted, turning toward the door and pushing to open it with her shoulder.
Seven people halted conversation and turned in their seats as the heavy door opened and Radais emerged. Six of these people were seated at a long table. The seventh, a balding, middle-aged man, stood in the front of the room, a long, narrow stick in one of his hands. Radais recognized two of the ones at the table, Dr. Krauss and Abraham Whatever, the blue fishman.
"Ms. Radequdais! What a pleasure! We were just talking among ourselves while you freshened up," said the balding man boisterously from the front of the room. He beckoned Radais forward to the front, and she reluctantly obeyed. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"
Radais gulped and looked at the six expectant faces. Well, five faces and Krauss' smoky filled dome. There was the fishman, a woman with short, dark hair and a lit cigarette in her fingers, a muscular, red skinned man, a woman with caramel hair and full lips, and a very short pale woman with very short blonde hair. They all looked curious, especially the blonde woman and the burly red man.
"Well, um, first of all, it's Radais. Not Radequdais. I hate that. Second, I'm not really sure how much help I'll be, I don't know if I have any special powers or nothin' like that. But I'll try. And I really don't want to kill off the human race, so any help with the whole 'Warmonger' business would be appreciated. That's-that's it really. Thanks."
A few of the people smiled as the balding man directed Radais to the nearest chair, his face a bit stonier than it had been before her little speech.
"Thank you, Radais," he said, "Not to worry, I'm sure you'll be a valuable part of the team. You'll be training with the other Elite Team agents, they'll turn you into an investigator."
"Um, cool, I guess."
"How rude of me!" the man exclaimed, "Introductions!"
About time
, Radais thought acidly."This is Agent Hellboy, Agent Liz Sherman, Dr. Abraham Sapien, Dr. Johann Krauss, Dr. Kate Corrigan, and Dr. Alberta du Crite," he said, pointing to each in turn, the red man, girl with the cigarette, Fishy, Krauss' smoke-filled diver's suit, the short woman, and the caramel-haired girl, "And I am Dr. Tom Manning, Director."
"Too many Ph. D.'s in one room for my taste," Radais snickered, "But it's nice to meet you guys, all the same."
Manning didn't laugh, but Radais heard a chuckle from the audience.
"Well," Manning said, producing a brown leather belt, populated with pouches, a holster, and a red hand and hammer logo buckle. "This is yours." He dumped it into Radais' lap, where it landed with a thunk. "And here's your badge and id." He handed her a leather badge holder.
"Thanks," Radais drawled, investigating the badge and id. "This is my driver's license picture," she mused.
"We pulled some strings with the DMV," said the blonde woman, Kate.
"Nice," Radais smiled, showing her too-long canines.
"Oooooh!" Radais looked to the speaker, the caramel-haired woman, who had stood and was advancing toward Radais.
"Um, can I help you?" she asked as the woman stopped. She had smooth skin and pale blue eyes.
"Your teeth," the woman said, pointing toward the girl's mouth.
"I know, they're weird."
A laugh erupted. "Relax, Al. You're scaring the girl. Let her get comfortable before you start dissecting her." The voice was Hellboy's, and it matched his prowess perfectly.
All of the people overwhelmed Radais, giving her a jittery and caged feeling. She cautiously watched as Alberta du Crite reluctantly sat down and began writing in a small brown book.
A knock on the door gave Radais hope for salvation.
"Sorry to interrupt, Manning, but I thought the meeting was over. Radais' room is all finished." The voice was Reggie's. Radais turned to see her standing at the door, a sly smile on her curly lips.
Manning made a face at her, then nodded at Radais, who jumped up, belt and badge in hand, and trotted out of the room.
"Oh my God," Radais laughed once they were out of earshot, "I thought that woman was going to tear my teeth out! Did you see her face?"
Reggie giggled and placed a comforting hand on Radais' shoulder. "Don't worry, kiddo. Alberta can be eccentric at times. You'll get used to it."
"I dunno, Reggie. I just have this weird vibe," Radais said as Reggie lead her down the maze of halls, "I don't like when people judge me, and obviously there's a lot of that going on. The fish dude automatically hates me, Manning thinks I'm the new messiah, or I wouldn't be here, and every single person in there regarded me with either distaste or crude, scientific interest."
"Jeez, Radais, give 'em a break. You've been here, what? Three hours? And you're already making value judgements. Give everyone a few weeks to get used to you and for you to get comfortable. Than you can pass judgements."
Radais bit her lip, seeing the wisdom in Reggie's words and the fault in hers.
"Yeah, you're right. It's just, this is so different. It's kinda scary. I'm used to knowing what's coming next. I guess it's just making me nervous. You're right, I'll get used to it," she said, smiling at the taller woman.
"Good," Reggie stopped, glaring at an open door in the hall, directly across from a tank with a large Yeti paw in the blue water. She walked inside, turned on the lights, and then dragged Radais in after her.
"This is your new home!" she said, a little too enthusiasticly.
The room was circular with a high ceiling, and walls the color of gold, with just as much sheen. A round bed sat in the middle, covered with gold and red comforters and pillows. Lots of pillows. A large oak dresser arched along one wall and several lamps populated the other parts of the room, making the place shadowy. The floor was carpeted with a deep red shag and Radais noticed that the floor was warm. She kicked her flip-flops off and dug her feet into the carpet like it was sand, enjoying the heat.
"Greg said you like to be warm. So we installed an extra heater and heat plates under the carpet. This room will never get below 75 degrees," Reggie giggled.
Radais smiled, making a mental note to thank Greg the next time she got to speak with him.
"This is wonderful, Reggie! Thank you so much!" she said, beaming.
"It's nothin, really. We just want our agents to be comfortable."
"Well I'll have no problem with that. Except, I'll have to get Greg to ship me all of my books. I won't be able to survive for long without them."
"I think he's already shipping them. He said as much to Manning over the phone. He knows you well."
"I'll say!" she laughed, "He didn't tell you my favorite food, did he?"
Reggie just giggled, "I'll leave you to your devices. I think your BPRD cellphone is on the dresser, we gave Greg the number if he needs to call you. I can bring you lunch a bit later."
Radais nodded, walking over to the dresser, and Reggie left.
The cellphone was exactly where Reggie said. Radais picked it up and took it with her to the bed, investigating it. It was sleek and black and waterproof, judging from the weight, with a steel hand and hammer logo on the back. She scrolled through the phonebook, where lots of things like 'SAPIEN' 'CORRIGAN' 'HQ' and 'MANNING' were programmed in. She also noticed that Greg's name was in the phonebook, but the number wasn't filled in. She took the liberty of doing so, annoyed that the agents were too stupid to get the number from the phonebook of her regular cellphone.
A knock on the door made Radais jump and drop the phone. It clattered noisily to the floor.
"Come in!" she yelled to the knocker as she dipped to retrieve the fallen cellular. The door opened, the hinges creaking in protest.
"Well, hiya."
Radais stood and turned. The massive red man, Hellboy, stood ominously in the doorway, blocking out the blue glow of the Yeti tank across the hall. His tail, prehensile and hairless, was curled around the doorknob, and Radais' eyes lingered on it for a moment. His eyes were yellow, but somewhat warm and not as stony as they had been during the meeting. The two raised discs that populated his forehead were scratched and pitted.
"Hi," the girl said meekly. Hellboy laughed. A tiny snatch of memory fleeted back to Radais, in which Reggie had informed the girl that Hellboy was the one who had pulled her away from the frog-thing. "Oh, God, forgive my rudeness! Thank you so much, Hellboy. You saved my life, I am indebted to you." Hellboy laughed harder. He stepped inside the room a stride or two, letting go of the doorknob.
"We don't really keep track of who owes who here," he said. He scratched his chin with his right hand, a massive stone hand.
"Still," Radais argued mildly, putting her phone in her back pocket, "I can't help but feel in your debt. And, I don't even know if I'm going to be able to be an agent. So I probably won't get to return the favor."
"Kiddo," he said, taking another stride forward, "You're workin' with the best in the business. I'll turn you into a fighter, for sure."
Radais bit her lip, weighing her eagerness against her newness and self-doubt. A spire of confidence ran her through and she looked up at the man. "Great," she said, her purple orbs burning, "When do we start?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, long chapter, sorry. But I couldn't find places to stop it. XD Next chapter you get to meet the Prince. Be excited. Reviews pretty please! All the crazy grammer is fixed. ^-^