Chapter XVI
Johann had invited the whole team in his bedroom, to organize an effective action plan.
He ordered the entire building plant on his desk, holding a wand in one hand. Abe was on his right hand while his left were also recently arrived Liz and Red.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Manning's apartment.."
"He trats himself good, the bastard!" Look how big is it! " Red said, looking at the plant. Then he added: "Let me guess, Johann. That 's where we'll begin to look for clues?"
"Exactly!" said the German luminary.
"Forgive me, Johann. But are you sure to find something interesting there?"
"Yes!"
Abe spoke up: "Two of our colleagues told me that they saw that this morning there was a strange package, it is intended to Manning."
"Said they where it came from?" Asked Liz.
"No, it was not the sender. But they could only read the inscription: top secret.".
"Did you hear anything else?" Liz pressed.
"No. They started making a couple of jokes about that parcel, then they changed the subject. I did not tipped shown interest in delivery."
Red said, "You did well. Now we know what to look for!"
"Well said, Agent Hellboy!" Exclaimed the enthusiastic Dr. Krauss. "We just have to enter in the apartment of Dr. Manning. Probably inside the package we'll surely find documents that prove the link between Manning and HDC.."
"But Manning's apartment is in A12, which is protected, only the sentry there can help us access, and demonstrates our fingerprints.". Said Liz.
"This would be a problem if we want to act without being seen.." said Abe.
"I could stun the guard with my stone arm and push the sensors with his hand." Red intervened.
"Too complicated, Red. I think we have a much simpler solution, at hand," Abe retorted, turning to Dr. Krauss.
A few minutes later, the team went surreptitiously in the corridors of the A12 area. Before Red could turn the corner, by showing the guard, Liz held him by the arm, warning him with stern eyes.
"Sorry, Liz .." whispered the demon red. He could not contain his enthusiasm for the dangerous mission.
"Shhhh! The entrance is right here behind us ..." she rebuked him, fearing to be heard.
Johann interjected: "So, agents. Let's Recap: I give you access to the A12 field, you hide, then I'll distract Manning and you sneak into his apartment. Understood?" As he repeated the last part of the plan, now he turned the knob of his containment suit.
"Ok." Whispered all together.
The officer guarding the entrance to the A12 area was yawning for hours. The silence that reigned in those corridors was a discreet invitation to doze. However, his senses are all alarmed when he heard whispering from behind the corner. He knew that the huge wall across the corridor leading to Area 51. Usually there is nobody at that time. Maybe his sleep was playing tricks on him. But he couldn't resist the temptation to go and check.
"Who goes there?" He exclaimed. He heard no response.
He decided to leave his position to verify. Failed even to turn the corner that he was hit by a burst of smoke. It was all he could remember, before joining again at the position, lying supine on the floor.
On the other side of the entrance, the team was walking very gingerly. Luckily at that time there was almost none.
They went to the apartment of Manning, which was at the bottom of a fairly long corridor full of decorations on the sides. They stopped everyone.
"What assures us that Manning will be out soon?" he asked Red.
"At this hour he takes always a coffee." interjected Dr. Krauss.
"Coffee?" At 3 am?" asked Liz.
He's always been a strange one, "said Red. "... And I bet that is exactly the time he processes his diabolical plans to kill us."
"Here ... Red!" Abe said, pointing to the door of the apartment that was opening.
"Soon! Behind that tree." Said Johann, pointing to a huge tree that was on the right side of the entrance, not far from it.
They ran all around the plant, praying that Tom did not notice the huge red mass that was hiding behind it.
"Dr. Manning! I came just for waxing you!" began Johann Krauss spreading his arms affectionately.
"Dr. Krauss ... I did not expect to see you here ...If I would know I'd dressed better…" Tom replied, embarrassed. He was dressed in casual clothes enough (a couple of dove-gray trousers and a simple white shirt), because that night he hadn't a lot of work.
"Do not worry, Dr. Manning!" said Johann boldly.
When Manning finally came at the ectoplasmic agent, leaving the door open, the three would-be spies sneak into the apartment. Thomas spun around: he vowed to see something red that moved near the entrance of his house! However he did not see anything, and he calmed.
"Before me there is Johann. If he saw something behind me, he would certainly advised me," he thought wrongly.
"Dr. Manning, I want to give you my congratulations!"
"C-congratulations? For what?" Asked Manning flattered and intrigued.
"For his work, of course!" Johann said.
"Really?"
"Sure, the idea of your recent change ... uh ... coffee machines was a brilliant move!"
"Are you serious, sir?" Thomas asked almost moved. He could not believe his ears.
"Of course! I'm almost thinking of to report it to our leaders in Washington!" Dr. Krauss said.
"I'm happy to have found someone like you who appreciate me, sir! Lately I have been repeatedly attacked. ... Because you should know that this month the employees of the "cold cases" have broken five times the coffee machine ... " and from there he began to tell once again the grave injustice suffered by the "evil" Fred Simmons. While telling of all, he withdrew from the hallway, completely forgetting that he left the door of his apartment open.
Meanwhile, Abe, Liz and Red were well hidden in the apartment of their chief. Just saw Manning and Johann away, they began to look for.
"Where the hell do we start?" Asked Red.
"The study.."
Unfortunately for our friends, Manning's apartment was full of bookcases, desks and closets overflowing with documents. However, there was nothing incriminating. Not even something that could also be suspect only traces of a secret society devoted to the destruction of non-human creatures.
"Bingo!" Red exclaimed suddenly.
"What have you found?" Abe asked apprehensively.
"A fine for no parking ... apparently Mr. Perfection parked in two rows ..."
"Red!" Liz exclaimed angrily.
"Sorry, Liz ..." Red said, looking down.
Just then they heard that someone was approaching the door still ajar. Abe immediately hid behind the curtains, Liz is concealed behind a huge tree, while who remained without hiding was Red. He tried desperately a place that could camouflage his gigantic body.
He ran into the bedroom of Manning, closing in the closet.
Thomas walked. From the way he spoke, it seemed that there was someone with him, but he was talking to himself:
"He spoke well of me ...I don't believe it! Eheheheh! I don't believe ...".
When Thomas Manning went into the bedroom, Liz began to tremble like a leaf. "But what happened to Johann?" he thought. After a few minutes she saw Manning reappear dressed in a suit and tie. She realized that Johann had invited him to drink something to distract him for long. As soon as she heard the door close, immediately ran into the bedroom, reached by Abe: "Red! Red, where are you?".
"Damn! That bastard was going to peck me!" exclaimed the demon from opening the closet's door.
"Thank God he didn't find out you." said Abe.
"Red, look!" shouted Liz.
Hellboy turned around right there at the back of a box.
"Pull it out, brother!" said Abe.
Red did not need to repeat twice: he pulled out the box. It had just opened, and saw clearly that besides it was a postcard that read: top secret.
"It 's the package that Manning received today!" said Abe.
They all looked it for a long moment, knowing full well that they would find gruesome things. In the mind of everyone figured it all: incriminating documents, photos, weapons, lists of potential victims. They hadn't the courage to open, but they knew that they had to do it.
The first who came forward was Red: he bent slowly the mysterious box, and began to open it. He saw that a card was wrapping something, to touch, seemed soft.
He took the contents of the box slowly.
"Red, watch out!" Liz said with a trembling voice. Abe said nothing, merely shaking convulsively his gills.
Rested the strange object on the soft floor, then slowly opened: what they saw left them stunned.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Shouted Red.
"But ... .. it is ..." Liz said, uncertain, not believing her eyes.
"A ..." Abe added.
"A tutu!" said Red. "A fucking pink tutu."
"Full of shoes too, apparently ..." Liz said, checking the box.
"Why the hell Manning does have a tutu?"
"I don't know ..." the girl replied "But ... that's nice.".
"I agree, but we didn't find anything." said Abe.
"We need to get out of here!" said Red. "Thomas could return at any moment. "
They went out stealthily from the apartment of Manning, trying to erase all traces of their passage, they didn't want, in fact, that someone noticed that they were right there.
When they left the A12 area, they went running into the room of Johann Krauss. They found him intent on observing the layout of the building.
"Johann! All this mess for a tutu!" Red began.
"What?" Krauss said, amazed.
"We found a tutu ... in Manning's room. Nothing more, unfortunately.". Abe replied.
"You mean there was no evidence that confirmed our suspicions?".
"Absolutely not, sir..."
"Hmm ... maybe we were wrong about Dr. Manning.."
"Maybe he wanted to sidetrack us, or is just a poor fool that we have wrongly accused."
"However, we must continue to investigate." Liz intervened. "Otherwise Selene continues to be in danger. And we, too ..." When she said the last sentence, she touched her belly, seriously feared for the two lives growing inside her.