Chapter XVIII

"Your Highness! Highness! We're here!" Abe cried while he, Red, Liz and Johann were approaching the old abandoned building. Nuada looked up from the mysterious note and recognized them.

"Is here Selene?" asked Red.

"They've taken her away ... ..." said the prince, while he was joined by Nuala, who could not disguise her dismay.

"Damn!" Liz swore.

Johann answered, "Sire, we have found in the office of our superior a lot of unusual documents that refer HDC.."

Liz continued: "Manning has been missing for a few hours, we believe that he is Edgar and... apparently he also kidnapped Selene.."

"We must go there! The prisoner knows the location of the HDC headquarters." Exclaimed Nuada.

"We must get the serum, too." Nuala said.

"I know where it is." said Nuada, who went running into the room of Selene. He began to rummage. He remembered that she told him that always she have with her the serum. He opened the closet, and found a pocket connected to the dress she had worn that day. He opened it, and found just what he expected to find.

He reached back to the group, which meanwhile was being organized for the mission.

Nuada and Nuala led all the group to John Walden. Strangely, in the basement used as a prison they did not hear a single sound, and it was unusually dark. Liz and Abe immediately lit their torches.

"Where are the royal guards? They should monitor the prison!" Said the prince, before seeing the bodies of the guards, lying on the ground lifeless.

"Oh my God!" cried the Princess Nuala.

They found the cell door ajar. At the center of it they found John Walden, linked as they left, the only difference was that his eyes were wide open, and he had a hole in the forehead from which copious amounts of blood were flowing.

"He' s been murdered too. A gunshot, apparently ..." Said Hellboy, and Liz lit up the corpse with her torch.

"They killed him to silence him.". Abe confirmed.

"Johann, this is working for you!" Red exclaimed with relief.

"I can not guarantee it will work: the brain has suffered significant damage, I could not access at the informations we need.".

"It's worth a try!" Nuada said impatiently.

Johann Krauss immediately opened the valve, from which came his ectoplasmic substance, which went straight to creep into the body of Walden. Immediately his body began to move his eyes and issue strange moans. He raised his head slightly and began to fix all those present. That vision was creepy, but they could not do without help, if they wanted to save Selene.

Walden's body began to speak in an almost aphasic way: "E. .. dgaaar ...". Princess Nuala put his hand to her mouth, trying not to cry. She had seen many bad situations, she had even witnessed the death of her father, but she never had the chance to see something so terrible.

After a few moments Walden suddenly lowered his head, making everyone jump.

Prince Nuada is flung the lifeless body and began to shake, "Where?" Where? " He received no response.

The smoke came out again from the body of Walden, returning to the containment suit.

"What do you find out?" said Red.

"He' s been killed by our own Edgar. I think Selene is in New England ..." Johann said.

"New England? It is not very far if we can get there by helicopter."

"It is not necessary!" Nuala finally intervened. "We can open a gap that could meet her immediately."

"A gap?" Krauss asked.

"Yes, we can use the four elements in order to open a portal and go all there.."

They ran all out from the train depot. They watched the two elves who, armed with several objects seemingly insignificant, build the gap. With all the experience of those who had already used this system, Nuala and Nuada took a long branch of a weeping willow, which arranged as a kind of circle.

"The north wind blows!" Nuada said.

"Well! We have therefore water, earth and fire in the other direction." said the princess. So saying, she placed on the ground four bowls, each bearing a sign: one filled with water, another land, a hand was empty, while the fourth was just pieces of wood.

"Gentlemen, you can lay out inside the circle!" Nuada said.

Once all is arranged in a circle, Princess Nuala finally said: "We are ready! Only thing missing is the fire for the last item." She turned to Liz who, nodding, leaned over the bowl with pieces of wood and, resting her right hand on them, she made a good flame.

The wind, in response, increased his strength, almost to break the magic circle created by all those objects. They spent a few seconds, then the wind stopped blowing, replaced by a light breeze, and all had the impression of being in another place.

"We're not very far away." Prince said, "Now let's go."

They undertook the remainder of the journey by following the instructions of Dr. Krauss, who was based on hazy memories of the now defunct Walden.

Within not much time at all they went to a huge grey structure. They were all hidden, protected by darkness and dense vegetation that was around.

"This is it!" Johann cried silently.

"It looks like a prison!" Abe observed.

"It 's worse than a prison!" Red replied. He stroked his stone hand with the huge gun he had brought with him. His Samaritan certainly would not have betrayed him. Selene certainly would deliver, but would have liked to kill those who got so much pain to creatures like himself and his friends.

Liz, next to him, as if reading his thoughts, stroked his hand, tacitly promised her support.

They did not have much time to organize a plan, however, had to agree that it was necessary, since it was not a simple task, first without the possibility of receiving reinforcements.

"I saw by the memories of our friend that the property is surrounded by guards and cameras. I predict that it will not be easy to get in.." Johann stated.

"If you want you could take out all the cameras, while we do the same with surveillance," suggested Red.

"Excellent suggestion, Agent Hellboy. But I can not overshadow all the cameras, they would give the alarm. But I can knock out those that give back, so they'll think it will be a failure, and you others may access the labs."

"You're a genius, gas bag!"

"Thanks!" Johann said, sincerely amused. Then all went on to decide what to do once inside the structure.

Abe turned to the Princess Nuala: "Nuala, you'd better stay here, I do not want you hurt.".

"I want to help you, Abraham."

"You will be much more useful out there, checking that everything is fine. If something were to happen, advice us. You know how to use them?" He told her, handing her the headphones.

"Yes, but they are not necessary, I can communicate anything through my brother." Said the princess.

"You're right ... that careless. Be careful, please," he advised her. Were very close as they talked, and Abe could not resist the temptation to touch her lips with a kiss. After he repented of having done immediately: he had been so imprudent as to almost forget the presence of the prince. He turned to him, perhaps he would have attacked by Nuada, he would have looked bad, or simply told him that his behavior was improper. Instead, he said nothing, just looked at them with a distracted air, as if he thought of nothing else. Surprised but reassured, Abe turned back to the Princess, who smiled

"Be careful, Abraham."

"I will, I promise." Abe replied with a bow.

Almost inspired by Abe, Red turned to Liz, "Honey, it's better that you stay here.".

"What?"

"Yes ... .. I'm worried for you and the children ..." Hellboy said, touching the belly of his woman. If something had happened, he would ever forgive him.

"Red ...".

"Please, Liz ..."

She mused for a moment: "Okay, I'll stay here." said softly.

Red almost smiled with joy: "Thank you ... I know how much it costs to you ...", then directed his gaze again to the building:" Now let's do a little mess, boys!"