Chapter 3: The Hunt for Anahita

Abe and Myers sat in quiet pensiveness with Professor Broom for a quarter of an hour until Abe broke the silence.

"Professor, you said 'Water Lily' to Manning as an explanation for where we were going. What did that mean?" he asked curiously.

"About ten years ago, just after Anahita's coming of age ritual, she came to visit us and stay in one of the cabins the BPRD owns near the Cheyenne Mountains. At the time, we were only working on research and there had not been any fires to put out so to speak; and I had hoped that Anahita's visit would be uneventful, but it wasn't."

"Nope. Pops and I went out to the mountains, but we weren't the only government officials in the area. The CIA had become aware of a terrorist threat from Russia, but they couldn't locate the nuclear explosives that had been planted by some loony sympathizers and time was running out. Anahita had seen the men searching the area when she had gone out at dawn to watch the sunrise and told them she could help them locate and contain the explosion. They thought that she was some kind of lunatic until she came and woke Pops up and was begging him to tell them to let her help before it was too late." Hell Boy said with a smile at the memory of his would-be Sister.

"Of course after I showed them my clearance and they realized I worked for the BPRD, they took Anahita much more seriously. She was able to locate and disarm the nuclear explosions with her abilities, thus saving thousands of lives. She received The Congressional Medal of Honor for her trouble; as well as her own code name 'Water Lily' which is known by heads of national security in every state. Needless to say, we are quite proud of Anahita." Professor Broom said with pride for his Daughter.

"She's...Special then? Like her Mother with her healing abilities?" Myers asked, taking a sip from his coffee thermos.

"It goes far beyond the abilities that Kushala had. Kushala was a healer, shaman, medicine woman, and seer; a vital member of her tribe. Anahita has definitely inherited her Mothers traits as a healer, but she also has rare abilities of her own. She has a bond with the earth, the water, the sky; the entire natural world around her is like putty in her hands for her to control. I have seen her bring rain to draught ridden tribal lands and dry up flooding from a monsoon, all within moments. She has a very strong connection with water as well; she has been known to swim in it for days without surfacing for air or tiring at all, even though her speeds in the water have been clocked at 82 miles an hour under water. A talent which is not possible to any other human in the world." Professor Broom explained with a hint of pride.

"That's nearly as fast as I can swim," Abe said in awe, becoming more curious and eager to meet the Professors daughter.

"Yes Abraham, and as much as I will always miss my dear Kushala, I will feel much more at ease with Anahita at home with us at the BPRD." Professor Broom confessed, with Hell boy nodding in agreement.

"It would be nice just having another girl to talk to," Liz piped up from her window seat as the pilot announced that they should all take their seats and prepare for touchdown.

They landed on an abandoned strip in New Mexico near Lake Cochiti and exited the plane, being met by a large waste management truck as was their usual Protocol, the agent driving it handed Agent Myers the keys and boarded the plane to wait for the teams return. Professor Broom clamored into the passenger seat while Myers started the truck and flicked a switch that activated the hydraulics to open the back. The back opened to reveal padded seating along the walls equipped with seat harnesses as well as weapons and computer equipment.

"Just like home," Hell Boy said sarcastically as he jumped up into the truck and turned to help Liz and Abe into the monstrosity on wheels. Abe sat at the computer, looking at the navigation information as they trundled on towards the beaches of Cochiti Lake; where Professor Broom knew his Daughter would most likely run to hide in an emergency.

Anahita had indeed headed to the beach after the shadow creatures had invaded their reservation and annihilated her entire tribe; including her Mother, her 10 Aunts, and all of the friends that she had grown up with. The attack had happened fast; beginning around 3AM that morning and lasting only fifteen minutes with Anahita and her Mother being the final survivors as they used their abilities to ward off the invaders as long as they could until they were overtaken and Kushala shielded her daughter, sacrificing herself so Anahita could escape. She had fled her tribes' lands as the shadows engulfed her Mother's body, not even leaving a corpse behind for burial. The rosary that was perpetually present on her wrist, (identical to her Fathers) was equipped with a hidden panic button that she activated as soon as she reached the shoreline and the safety of a cave that she had been using as a hideout since she was a child. She had stocked canned food and blankets there throughout the years and her Father had known of the caves existence since she had begun using it. Anahita waited well after dusk without a sign of the shadow beings and no word yet from her Father, though the panic button on her rosary had gone from red to green; a clear indication that he had pressed the button on his own rosary in answer to her distress call and was on his way to her. She had opened an aluminum package of rations and conjured a small black fire curling up beneath a blanket when a distant rumbling sound could be heard at a distance, growing louder by the second.

"Damn," She sighed as she gathered her weapons closer to her and crouched low to peer out at the night. She had read about shadow beings in the supernatural texts that her Father had given her from his days as a student researcher, but nothing she could remember had prepared her to fight against what had attacked them and if they were coming closer to the beach now, she would rather face them head on and die with honor than cower in a cave like a scared mountain lion kit. Anahita unsheathed her Sais and charged out of the cave, only to be met by...headlights? She sighed in relief as she saw her Father jump from the passenger side of a huge waste management truck; betraying his own supernatural strength despite his appearance as an older man. Anahita resheathed her weapons and ran into his arms, finally letting loose the sob that she had been holding in and the grief she had been hiding for the sake of her own survival. Professor Broom held his Daughter in his arms and kissed the top of her head, meeting Hellboy's somber gaze. HB stood beside them awkwardly, unsure if Anahita held him partially responsible for her insurmountable losses until she pulled away from her Father and pulled him into an embrace to the best of her abilities due to how tiny she was compared to her 'Brother'.

"I'm so sorry Sweetie," He intimated softly as she sniffed and dried her tears, nodding.

"Anahita, it's so nice to meet you at last, HB talks about you all of the time. I feel like I know you already." Liz said, stepping forward and putting out her hand.

"Oh, you must be Liz!" Anahita said, bypassing Liz' hand and embracing her like a Sister. Liz smiled and hugged back, liking this new addition to their quirky team already.

"Anahita, this is Agent John Myers, your Brothers Liaison." Professor Broom introduced. Myers gave her hand a polite shake and a soft smile.

"And last, but not least; this is Agent Abraham Sapien, your Brothers partner and friend at the BPRD," Her Father stepped aside and Anahita gasped as she met Abrahams eyes.

"I've been dreaming of you," They said in unison. Abraham took Anahita's hand and gave it a soft kiss; completely uncharacteristic of him. Anahita felt a sudden wave of lightheadedness and lightening stuck the ground at their feet, engulfing Abe and Anahita and lifting them into the air in a graceful levitating arc until there was a great boom of thunder and they both fell to the ground.