Well, after a rather long vacation from this story, I've finally managed to get my cards in order and let Rigel work his way back into my muse. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review! I'm going to try to include more of the comicverse characters, but as I haven't read a lot of them lately, I'd appreciate it if anyone let me know if I'm making anyone OOC.
DISCLAIMER: Rigel, as well as a few OCs to come, are the only characters that belong to me. Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and the whole BPRD gang belong to Dark Horse Comics.
"Whoa." Rigel peered down the laminated hallway, eyes wide and unblinking. He felt an overwhelming urge to pinch himself; this couldn't possibly be real. The compound had been imposing at ground level, when he'd stumbled out of the truck into chilly air and dreary, grey-shroud skies. It had been incredible when he'd walked inside and had been made to stand on a strange emblem of a fist and knife. And now, as the floor--the marble floor--moved slowly downwards to reveal an enclosure much bigger then the outside part, he was mind-boggled beyond all comprehension. This place was more exotic and bewildering then any place Rigel had traveled in his five-year excursion, but Abe and Hellboy seemed to take it in stride. The demon-man was currently behind him, his normal left hand half guiding, half holding him still. Abe was in front of Rigel, busily filling out some sort of papers.
To think that all this time, this place has been hiding under the ground. Rigel thought as the elevator reached the floor and ground to a halt. It's incredible what humans can do when properly motivated. Whatever this Bureau did, it had to be very important if they could afford such an amazing abode. What exactly was these strange people's job, anyway? Something to do with dangerous creatures, perhaps? That would explain Hellboy's arrival just after that grey monster but what had happened to it after--
"Come on, kid. We don't have all day." Hellboy prodded the blonde-haired teen along. A few random agents looked strangely at the teen, face covered still in dried blood and nose beginning to puff up and bruise. Hellboy glared at them until, embarrassed and cowed, they went back to their work. Flanked by Abe--still scribbling away at the papers--the teen and demon made their way through tiled hallways full of glass cases until they came to a single door. Abe opened it, and the three walked inside.
It was a rather nice conference room, of sorts. A long table, rimmed by at least twenty leather chairs, sat in the middle of the room. Most of it was devoid of papers, except for the end farthest from them. There, a few neat little piles of books and files lay on the tabletop. A middle-aged woman sat in front of them, absorbed in an old-looking book. From what Rigel could make of the moth-eaten cover, it was in a different language.
Abe coughed quietly, just loud enough to get the woman's attention. "Kate?"
The woman looked up. "Oh, hello Abe, Hellboy. Did the wendigo job go okay?" She carefully marked her place in the book with an index card and closed it, setting it in the center of her various papers. Rigel noticed that the book had a few reddish stains on the cover, and felt queasy. He blinked and averted his eyes, trying not to look at them.
"Yeah, we got the wendigo. We picked up this kid on the way, too." Hellboy pushed Rigel forward slightly, bringing him to the woman's attention. "He's the one who actually killed the damn thing."
"Killed the wendigo…?" The woman's interest was immediately focused on the teen. "Hello, I'm Kate Corrigan. I work here, for the BPRD." She held out a hand. "What is your name?"
Rigel shook the proffered hand, smiling a bit. "I'm Rigel." A wave of pain suddenly spiked its way through his nose, catching him off guard and making him wince. "Pleased--ouch--pleased to meet you."
Kate, noticing the wince and blood, looked first at Rigel, then over his shoulder at Hellboy--who shrugged and momentarily clenched his stone hand--then Abe, whose eyes flicked in Hellboy's direction. She raised an eyebrow. "Tell you what, Rigel. How about we get that nose of yours checked out? Then we'll talk."
Well, that's all for now. My muse has returned, however, so I'll be uploading again soon.