Chapter 3:
Lexy awoke, not with her normal alarm clock, but with the sound of a siren and red flashing lights. She new what this meant and had been awoken many a time by the light show. It was the signal that an incident had just occurred and that the agents were to be deployed soon. She was wondering how this would affect her own exam when her locator, sitting on the bedside table, beeped.
"Lexy, it's Abe. The professor wants you in the library immediately." Came his hurried voice.
Lexy grabbed the little device. "Right, tell him I'll be right there."
Quickly she jumped out of bed, threw on some clean clothes and headed for the library.
Already the others were gathered there.
"What's going on?" Lexy asked nervously.
"A museum break in." Abe answered already suited up for the mission.
"The Museum of Biblical Art was broken into just an hour ago. Two guards were killed and one of their pieces was destroyed before the perpetrator fled the scene." The professor continued.
"How do they know it was a paranormal incident?" Lexy asked.
"The statue destroyed was listed on one of our manuscripts. A 16th century statue was destroyed, Saint Dionysius the Aeropagite."
"Who wards off demons." Lexy nodded remembering the name from her studies.
Broom nodded approvingly. "Yes. we've secured the area and are about to send in the chosen officers for this task." He paused and looked her in the eye seriously. "Lexy I want you and Abe on this mission." Before she could say anything he continued. "We can consider this your final test since the situation is so very like what we had prepared. Besides some real life experience will be much more beneficial to you than an artificial one."
Lexy was silent then nodded. "Right sir, I'll do my very best."
Broom smiled. "I know you will Lexy, now go eat and prepare. You and Abe leave in one hour."
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Abe and Lexy walked in through the back exit of the cleared out museum and headed straight for the display room. Already a team of agents were there looking and taking pictures over everything in the room. One of them waved them over.
"Agents over here." He called.
They neared a broken display case and the broken statue that the professor had mentioned.
"We can't make heads or tails of this thing. That's why we called in the professionals. What can you tell us about it?" He said motioning to the broken stone.
Abe nodded at Lexy and let her do the actual investigating.
She leaned down for a better look. "May I touch it?" She asked knowing how some collectors were severe about that sort of thing.
The agent nodded. "Go for it, don't see how it'll damage it worse."
She carefully examined the statue looking everywhere for clues. "It's a fake, but a good one. I see how it fooled the collectors here into believing it was the original piece. Let's see, the stone is granite and holds no magical, spiritual or physiological energies itself, neither does it bear any inscribing markings or runes. Just a plain statue." She looked from the statue to shattered glass around it. "Interesting, the display case was shattered carelessly but the statue itself was sliced perfectly in half." She looked at the other half. "They were expecting it to be hollow and were after whatever was in the original piece, my guess, a demonic force I believe."
Abe mentally smiled. She was spot on what he was already told about the statue from the professor.
"Who do you think would want something like that?" The agent asked.
"Well there are many cults about who benefit from having such a force on their side, but not so many with the actual means to perform a break in like this. All the cameras show no video footage of the break in even during the time of it. I believe this statue or it's original is listed on the list of Avignon being of catholic descent. That narrows it down to those cults with deep roots in Catholicism and jewdism, deep enough to own or have access to a copy of it themselves. My top guesses are the cult of Romain Catholicism, the Haredi Burqa Sect or the Saturn death cult. They stand out above the others as being very old with deep roots in the catholic religion. They of all would benefit most from such an artifact. My personal guess is the Haredi Burqa, they have a long history with this saint."
The agent nodded. "We'll have investigative teams start looking in on them until we can identify an exact persons." He signaled the few agents remaining and headed out with them to start putting orders through.
Lexy turned to Abe nervously. "How'd I do? Do you think I'm close?"
If Abe could smile then he would have been. "You did excellent, followed all the clues perfectly, I came to the same conclusion."
Lexy smiled wide. "You really think so?" She asked with nervous excitement.
He nodded. "Most defiantly." He came forward and leaned down to the statue. "Now that you've identified the cult I can identify the individuals themselves." He removed his glove and placed a bare hand on the granite stone.
Lexy turned and began looking at the other displays. She'd always loved museums, her father used to take her to every weekend and they'd spend hours examining each one and learning everything they could about each piece. Lexy heard a gasp and before she knew what was happening Abe had suddenly grabbed her upper arm and started pulling her away.
"Lexy we have to leave now!" He said in a panic and Lexy could tell he was terrified, but of what she didn't know.
"Wait Abe, what's wrong?"
He shook his head. "No time, move!" He shouted.
Lexy wanted to know what was wrong before they abandoned the crime scene. Before she could Abe was suddenly jerked back and he yelled in pain.
"Abe!" She shouted in concern and saw what had caused his pain. A bladed tonfa had pierced through his knee into the floor below, pinning him to the ground.
Immediately she was at his side looking over the wound. Her basic first aid training had been advanced so she could treat many kinds of wounds. She looked over his knee and was relatively relieved that no major veins had been pierced, but the weapon still needed to be removed.
"Abe hold still, I'm gonna pull it out." She took a hold of the weapon's handle and readied to pull.
"No Lexy you have to get out!" He shouted and tried pushing her away.
She shrugged his hand off and started to pull.
"Lexy look out!"
She turned and saw a man dressed all in black walking towards them. His face was completely covered by a gas mask and he held a bloody tonfa that was the twin of the one that had impaled her friend. He paused only to close and lock the door behind him, trapping them all inside.
Abe grabbed her arm so hard it hurt. "Lexy listen to me, you have to get out!"
"I'm not leaving you Abe." She shook her head.
The man was approaching at a leisurely pace, enjoying every second of the approach.
"Yes you are, now go!" Abe seemed almost hysterical as the masked man drew ever nearer.
The only reply Lexy gave was a quick "Get ready" before she pulled the tonfa out of his knee.
He gave a shout of pain and there a was a small gush of blue blood but Lexy had another thing to deal with. She turned, weapon in hand, to face their assailant.
The man paused, tilted his head in amusement before raising his weapon.
There was a moment of silence before the man charged.
Lexy didn't move, she let him come to her before countering his strike with one of her own.
The man spun and Lexy followed his movements countering again. They soon began a quick blow by blow fight with Lexy countering each of his strikes.
Suddenly she saw an opening, he raised his tonfa to try and deliver a powerful blow and blocked his strike then kicked him hard in his chest over his heart. He backpedaled a few feet before steadying himself.
Lexy thought it strange that he recovered so quickly. Usually a kick like that would put someone on their ass, at least for a moment, she decided it was because he was wearing armor.
"Lexy get out now!" Abe was still trying to get her to leave.
"Abe see if you can get to the door." She said back.
Abe, realizing he was getting nowhere, grabbed his locator. He clicked it on signaling an emergency and clicked on it's comn channel.
"Professor are you there?"
The response was instantaneous. "Abe what's going on, the doors are all locked and we're not receiving anything from the other agents."
"It's kroenen!" Abe shouted frantically. "He's here and Lexy's fighting him now!"
There was cursing from the other end of the comn before Lexy heard her locator beep on.
"Lexy this is Broom disengage immediately!" His words were anxious and rushed.
The masked man was still just standing there, waiting for her to do something.
"Abe's down sir, I'm not leaving him."
Hearing her decision the man reached up his free hand and began turning a small handle on his chest. He raised his weapon and advanced, but this time much faster.
"That was an order not a request!" The professor shouted.
She had no time to reply has she had to quickly dodge his swift strikes. Forwards, backwards, left and right she weaved between his attacks trying to find an opening. She backed herself to the wall, waited and when he went to stab at her chest, she used the wall as leverage and shot herself over his head.
His tonfa blade impaled itself into the stone wall where it stuck firm.
Using her opening she turned and stabbed the man in the leg trying to incapacitate him.
When she pulled back the blade Lexy was shocked to see sand begin to pour out.
She didn't have time to dwell on it though as he turned and drew two long daggers. Before he could make a strike Lexy spun and delivered a powerful spin kick to his head, denting the mask and shattering one of the eyes pieces.
She jumped back in time narrowly avoiding his knives. Again she retreated and was forced into dodging and blocking again. He chased her to the opposite wall where again she used the leverage leap high and delivered her knee into his neck.
His head flipped back and fell to the ground.
Lexy dared to hope that was the end of it when he bent around lifting himself up backwards.
There was a sudden banging against the door, like something heavy being rammed against it.
The man looked at the door before readying his knives and started advancing again, when their came a sort of burp of static from his person.
The radio static subsided and the voice of a woman game through.
"Kroenen, Die Mission ist ein Fehlschlag, Rückkehr auf einmal." The woman spoke before the radio went dead.
The man stared at her for a long moment before running recklessly at her. She readied for him to strike but he dropped and knocked her legs out from under her. The tonfa was swiped from her hands and she watched stunned, as he went back to the opposite wall, retrieved it's twin before scaling the walls, like a spider, and exiting through the roof sky light.
Lexy took a moment to catch her breathe. That fight had been one of the most intense ones in her life. Whoever that man was he was an expert in martial arts and weaponry.
She remembered Abe, got to her feet and ran over to him. There was a small pool of blue blood below his injured leg and he was breathing heavily she guessed from both pain and a bit of shock. She tore a piece of her undershirt off and gently wrapped his wound. None of them had been expecting any sort of scuffle so they weren't carrying any sort of medical equipment.
"Abe how ya' doing?" She asked concerned.
He stared at her in shock and kept looking at the skylight and back. "You...you should have ran."
Lexy rolled her eyes at him.
The door that was still being rammed suddenly collapsed in and Hellboy followed by Liz and several agents ran in weapons at the ready.
"Where is he?" Hellboy was searching all around the room.
"He escaped through the skylight." She motioned upwards.
Liz jogged over to them. "Are you hurt."
"I'm fine but Abe's knee is hurt pretty bad."
Hellboy stared at her momentarily before pressing his locator. "Father, Kroenen escaped onto the roof, Lexy and Abe are still alive."
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The group was rushed back to headquarters and Abe was sent to the medical ward. Lexy had wanted to go with him but the professor had forbade it. For a good while he chewed her out about not following his direct orders and putting herself in terrible risk. She tried to explain that she wouldn't, couldn't leave Abe behind but that did nothing to soften his words or tone. After a good twenty minutes of angry yelling he sent her to her quarters and she and told her she was not allowed out until he called for her.
That was where she was now, sitting on her bed cross legged and lost in thought. It had been three hours since the professor had dismissed her to her room and every second she had become more frightened. Not of the professor himself, he was a gentle man at heart and appalled violence, but fear of failing her test. She was afraid that her three years of hard work had all been wiped away in a single night, that she would be sent away from the only life and family she had known since Seattle. She was terrified and thought perhaps if she could better explain to the professor about her decision after he had cooled off maybe he'd understand. But she also knew that if she disobeyed another order and left her room then all would be for naught. So she waited and waited, eventually her fear subsided to fatigue.
The whole night had been exhausting all she wanted to do was sleep, though she didn't dare in case the professor sent for her.
After another fifteen minutes added to the three hours that had already past there came a knock at the door.
Lexy felt a shallow fear in her stomach, afraid that it was the professor, or worse an agent coming to tell her to start packing her bags.
"Come in." She said though her voice was hallow. She was rather shocked to see Abe come limping in. His injured knee had been bandaged and he was leaning on a crutch. Aside from that he seemed perfectly fine and had changed out of his mission suit. Immediately her fear subsided, the look in his eyes told her she wasn't leaving, not tonight at least.
"How's your knee?" She asked patting the spot next to her on the bed.
Abe nodded and gratefully sat down with a tired sigh. "Well it's not completely broken, though I believe that's thanks to you." He paused and laid a hand on hers. She felt the psychic connection like a static shock and retrieved a bit of feedback from the link herself.
He was feeling a mix of things. Irritated that she didn't escape at the museum when she had the chance, but also a great sense of gratefulness and loyalty that she wouldn't abandon him. And fear both for her life and towards the masked man.
Their's was a unique bond, usually when near a person he could sense their emotions and intentions, even memories almost instantaneously. But not Lexy, well at first he could, but as she learned more about psychics she began developing a mental block that not even he could break through. Though she could raise and lower it at will, it was quite strong and Abe thought she might have some untapped psychic abilities herself. Like when she touched his hand and got a read of him, though she couldn't do this unless his own block was down and not with anyone else, he had to initiate the link.
"This is the second time you've saved my life Lexy." He laughed awkwardly.
She nodded, still remembering the night of the Hodag like it was yesterday.
"So what's gonna happen to me?" She didn't like putting such a question on her friend but the suspense was eating her alive.
Abe reached for his crutch and tried to stand, Lexy moved to help him to his feet.
"Well that's why I'm here to get you. The professor wants to speak with you, they're all waiting in the library."
"Right." She said slightly dismayed and plainly frightened.
"Don't worry, it's not to bad. He only wants to talk about your fight tonight." Abe didn't tell her that the professor was also going to be giving her her badge that night, he figured it would be a nice surprise.
"Well then, let's go."
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They entered the library and Lexy was surprised to see that when Abe had said 'they' he was referring to Hellboy and Liz and not Manning and Broom like she had expected, though the professor was present.
When they reached the fireplace where everybody was standing Abe left her side to join the other two agents while she remained in front of the professor.
The elder man stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head in disbelief.
"I don't know how you did it." Was all he said.
Lexy waited anxiously for a moment before she asked. "Sir?" Wanting desperately an answer.
"Do you know who that man was that you fought tonight in the museum?" He looked at her seriously.
She shook her head. "At first I assumed him to be apart of the cult that had originally destroyed the statue, but now I'm not so sure."
Broom raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't be so quick to second guess yourself. Your half right. He is apart of the cult that had wanted the statue, but the wrong cult and he was their leader."
"Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, head of the Thule Society, a group of German aristocrats obsessed with the occult and leader of project Ragna Rok in Nazi Germany in October 1944." Hellboy answered.
Lexy went through her mental database and tried to remember where she knew the date from.
But the professor beat her to it. "The year Hellboy was 'born'. Kroenen is also one of the most skilled assassins in the world. He was Hitler's personal assassin. Meaning that he's killed more people than you could hope to meet in your life."
Lexy was rather shocked to hear this and Broom nodded as realization was dawning on her.
"How you managed to fight him to a stand still with only one weapon is far beyond me." He said solemnly and she realized that he had expected her to die that night.
"And survive without so much as a scratch." Hellboy whistled in appreciation. "Your damn skilled kid."
"Damn lucky is more like it." Liz said heatedly like she couldn't decide between anger or joy.
Broom nodded. "She's right. All kidding aside your very lucky to be alive, both of you." He glanced at Abe as well. "I'd consider it nothing short of a miracle. Now as for punishment for your foolish actions,"
Lexy swallowed hard, this was what she'd been fearing.
"You will be helping Hellboy clean the barracks for a week. And agent Tanner I don't want another altercation like this again, am I clear?"
Hellboy groaned at hearing about his still standing punishment from two weeks ago.
Lexy was about to say 'yes sir' when she realized what he said. He'd said 'agent Tanner'. She stared at him for a long moment.
After a few seconds the professor's stony features melted away into a proud smile.
She looked to her friends who were smiling as well.
Broom stepped forward and put out his hand and took hers.
"Welcome to the B.P.R.D field agent Tanner."
When she pulled away she felt something smooth and cool in the palm of her hand. Lexy looked, it was a shining gold badge. She turned it over and there was her name and status printed perfectly.
For a while she didn't know what to do, she kept looking from the badge to her friends. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the professor in a huge hug. She still wasn't sure if she was going to cry or not but for now she was just happy to be right where she was. After the initial shock wore off the professor smiled fatherly at her and gently hugged back.
Finally Lexy let go, a wide smile plastered on her features.
The professor chuckled glad to see her confidence rise. "Now I'm heading off to bed and I suggest you do the same soon. The barracks aren't going to clean themselves tomorrow morning."
Hellboy groaned again then nodded.
The professor exited the room leaving the four friends to themselves.
Liz came up and gave Lexy a great big hug. "Congrats Lexy." Liz's smile as big as Lexy's. "You scored perfectly on every test."
Hellboy came up and put his arm around her and Liz in a half hug. "You did it kid, your one of us now."
"I owe everything to you guys. I couldn't have made it this far without all of you."
Her words were nothing compared to her inward feelings. Joy, excitement, pride, thankfulness, but more than anything a sense of belonging. Three years ago she'd been orphaned, left with no one and no where to go. But the B.P.R.D. welcomed her and made her apart of their family. Now after everything she belonged somewhere.
She looked to Abe who had come over though was standing a foot away. Lexy managed to get loose from the others grip and she pulled the Ichthyo Sapien into a warm hug. She didn't need to explain how she felt in words, in a moment he felt everything. Her love and loyalty to every one of them at the bureau and now her fierce commitment to protect them as they protected her.
He did his version of a smile, his face tightening slightly and his mouth barely parting.
They separated and Hellboy ruffled her hair in the way he often did and the way that he knew annoyed her.
"Well pops is right Lex, those barracks take all day to clean, plus you've had a long day. Fightin' off assassins and what not." He smiled smartly.
Liz nodded. "You should both get some rest." She looked to Abe as well. "Your knee needs to heal and you're gonna be up at the crack of dawn with Red scrubbing down the barracks."
Red groaned. "Do you have to remind me?"
"Think of it this way Red, at least you have help now." Abe joked.
They headed out as a group except Abe who headed or his tank in the room. One by they splintered off to their own rooms.