ch 19
Chapter XIX
"Are you ready, boys?" Johann said to his headset. It was located behind the building, hidden by a pillar, along with Abe.
"Ready!" Red replied, still hidden by the dense forest, made a nod to Nuada, who was a few feet away from him. The prince nodded, and he drew his spear.
The only two guards guarding the exit failed to notice the subtle smoke that came to rest on the cameras. Shortly after they received a call from the internal security: "Guys, keep your eyes open, there was a failure at 3 and 5!"
"Ok!" responded almost simultaneously. Do not be alarmed, since it was not the first time gave some camera problems. Even noticed the strange white figure behind them, that struck with a knife and passed in just two fast shots, not even giving them time to scream.
"Good job, Nuada" said Red as he came out of hiding. Soon after Abe and Johann appeared that, from their hiding place, reached the Prince and Hellboy.
When the men were finally inside the building, the two girls watched them disappear from outside their view. They were worried, worried for the safety of their respective loves.
Princess Nuala sighed almost pained, and added: "I would at least help them, but we women are only allowed to hang back and wait ...".
"Really, Sire?" Liz said defiantly.
"What do you mean?" Nuala asked, puzzled.
"I do not believe that we remain mica really out there while others are risking their lives? Intervene at the right time ... ..." Liz made it clear Nuala watching with an air of complicity. The princess said nothing, merely staring at the pirocinetica eyes, hinting at last a grin.
Once inside, the men restated the latest information.
"So, the Prince and I go to free Selene, while the two of you think to the other prisoners." Red said.
"Perfect, Agent Hellboy!"
The team split up and began to do the heavy work they had planned. Abe and Johann went underground, where they were prisoners. Once he taken possession of a guard's body, Johann made it out the other two, helped by Abe trying to find out of their pockets magnetic cards to open the first cells. They noted that the prison housed creatures were of all shapes and sizes ... Very few had the human aspect: some were elves, other trolls, ogres, goblins, and others were mutants.
They began to open the first doors: all creatures, curious and hopeful, peeping from their cells.
"Do not worry, gentlemen. We are friends!" Abe heartened "soon we'll take you all out of here. We only ask you to be quiet to make your liberation easier." and continued to open other cells. Once all were free, Abe pulled off one of his gloves, trying to find out more there.
"The structure contains other prisoners, Dr. Krauss! We have just released a half.".
Johann nodded and turned to the unbelieving creatures that they had just opened up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, if we go away from here we must free before all the others! The guards in this structure are in clear majority, so we must all be united to neutralize the enemy. "
"I am with you, friends! My niece is a prisoner here, too. And I will do anything to liberate her and others." said an elf and laid his hand on the shoulder of Johann.
"What's your name, our valiant ally?"
"My name is Lorcan! And I'm at your service, gentlemen!"
All other magical creatures, imitating him, began to approach the two agents, providing their support.
When Selene finally opened her eyes, she realized that she was sitting on a chair. She tried to move, but something prevented her from performing even the smallest movement. She was still dazed, saw the things around her almost double, but after a while she understood clearly that she was tied with ropes. Her arms were tied behind her back, she felt sore. After a few seconds she realized that she was not alone: something moved in the shadows. "Is there anyone here?" Where am I? " she asked.
"I thought you understood on your own." replied a male voice.
"Edgar!" she exclaimed, trying in vain to free herself.
"I waited you for so long, Selene. You're finally at home.."
The girl began to tremble, her nightmares began a new form: she knew that a life of experiments and torture awaited her again.
"However ..." Edgar shooted. "You owe me a thing that belongs to me.."
" It's not with me!" promptly replied the girl.
"Uhhh ... very very strange ... you do not never be separated from it! But we can fix it. Just tell me where is it." he retorted.
It was a long period during which the girl did not speak, but raised her chin in defiance.
Approaching her, Edgar said in a deadpan: "Do not make things even more difficult, Selene. You know that I don't want come to this." as she spoke, she noticed that his face was covered with a hood, but what worried her was that he had a strange pair of wire cutters in his hands.
"What are you doing?" She said alarmed.
"My work, my dear. ... Oh and remember that you also tell me where you put the piece of the crown.".
"You know about the piece of the crown?" she asked terrified and amazed.
Edgar let out a sinister laugh, "My child, do not forget that I missed nothing.." Then he continued: "I will destroy the serum and the crown, so I will free the world from the scum that pollutes it. The ones like you have the days counted!"
"Not all men are like you, Edgar. There will always be the people who will be on our side."
"You say? Try to read the newspapers! We are encouraging people to believe what we want!"
Then he came over and whispered in her ear: "The human race will forsake you, the number of those who support you will always be lower until are the people who you call friends will turn against you!"
"Never will not happen this madness !"
"You're more stupid than your mother, Selene. If she had known she was carrying an abomination in her womb, she would soon get rid of you."
Although wounded by the words of Edgar, Selene took courage in the face and shouted: "Damn son of a bitch! You know what she did to make me born!"
"So I still believe that stupid story of your conception "in vitro"? I can not believe" he said laughing even more.
"I do not understand ..." said Selene, "What do you mean?".
"I say that your mother lost her head for an elf! He served the clan of Beethmora."
Selene was left stunned. Why not her mother never revealed her the truth? She had a father, that she had never known.
Moments later, Edgar had brandished the cutter in his hands: "Now that we found something about your disgusting your family tree, I'll make you speak". He went behind her. Selene shivered, had realized that he was torturing her hands. When she felt the cold metal touch her fingers, closed her eyes, preparing for an imminent pain. Instead she heard a strange noise: someone had slammed the door. Also heard a friendly voice:
"Do not you dare touch her, you bastard!" was Prince Nuada that, in anger, watched Edgar with eyes full of hatred. Red was next to him, he broke down the door with his arm made of stone, and grabs the gun, growling like an angry animal.
"Hellboy and Prince Nuada! What a pleasant surprise! You were able to neutralize my guards!" He did not seem intimidated by the two, and this worried Selene.
Edgar put a gun to the head of the girl, forcing the two to stay put: "Now let's see if you can deal with my creatures!"
"Your what ?..." Hellboy said.
He did not even have time to finish the question he heard strange roars coming from adjacent rooms. They turned towards the corridor, and noted with concern that a steel gate was lifted, revealing only a dark space. Red shook his weapon even stronger, hoping that it was not something big, but he realized soon after that he was wrong. Huge creatures emerged from the darkness of the place: at first glance they seemed troll, but they were bigger, with enormous jaws, and each of them had a sort of collar, from which a large diameter pipe that was sticking to the bottom of they heads. They moved very quickly, and surrounded Nuada and Red in a few moments.
Although the prince was very nimble, he felt very difficult to kill these creatures, because they possessed superhuman strength, as well as a considerable agility. Red, however, found difficult to dodge their shots, but thanks to his prime aim, he managed to kill four. He did not notice the last monster behind him, that was launching a deadly attack with its claws, but Nuada realized the danger just in time to stop and bury it with his spear. Then with a leap cat, he pounced on the last creature, beheaded it.
They returned immediately to the room where Selena was, but saw with dismay that there was neither her or Edgar.
"We have to look for them soon!" Nuada urged in prey apprehension.
"This way!" Hellboy suggested, noting that, behind a bookcase, there was a secret passage. He grabbed it with both hands the library, literally separating it from the wall, revealing the passage.
Abe and Johann were in considerable difficulty. They did not know precisely how to continue. The prisons to which they had access were at the east side of the building, to liberate others they need to go in the middle of a corridor filled with guards. The two agents looked at everything through a door, which had a porthole from which they could see everything, obviously trying not to be discovered.
"Now what do we do?" Said Abe.
"We must have an idea, and quickly!" Johann said.
"It 's so full of guards because this step also leads to the elevators that damage to the offices!" Lorcan suggested. All other creatures were disoriented. A troll suggested a sling in the middle of the corridor and take out all the guards, but the idea was quickly discarded, because the two agents of the BPRD did not want to risk lives, the men were also armed, and their number was much higher.
Suddenly, they heard a rumble came from the other side of the building, where there were laboratories. Came immediately after a fire alarm. The creatures had hidden a start, they saw all the men go to the laboratories.
"This explosion was providential!" exclaimed a goblin.
"Liz ..." Abe surprised whispered "She 's here! She was to cause it!"
"Yeah! She distracted them to lead them to the other side."
Grateful for this unexpected help, all creatures went across the hall and, ignoring the cameras scattered everywhere, went to another wing.
The corridor in which they ran Red and Nuada was narrow, without any lighting, forcing Red to put the Samaritan in its holster, and to light a torch. Prince Nuada was beside him, with his inseparable lance, holding extended and ready to strike in case of danger, fortunately did not find anyone who caught them by surprise. However, the place was dispersed: the hall, in fact, was divided in two directions, leaving the two undecided on what was right. Nuada watched carefully both entrances, and did not notice anything in particular. However his attention was suddenly directed to a tiny detail that peeked into the hall left. Red, not noticing anything, was wandering in empty his torch with his left hand, which was blocked by the firm grip of the prince that asked him: "Light up the aisle right again.." Without saying a word, the demon executed the request of the prince. Nuada leaned on the floor, and noticed something: a hair brown.
"Did you find something, my friend?" Hellboy asked as he held the torch stops.
"A hair. I think we should go this way.."
They went, but found nothing, looked like a dead end. Red was even tempted to go back, but the Prince stopped him: "We should move forward.".
"Yes, but we are losing time. There's nothing! Selene could be to the other way."
Nuada thought for a moment and said: "Very good. Let's divide, then. I continue there, you go back and go the other way."
"Under the orders, your royal blondness!" Red finally answered. Then he turned back, taking the other direction.
The second corridor seemed to be quite short. Within a few moments he felt that something was burning. After a while he entered in a dark room, completely burned up, full of charred tables, machines and computers destroyed and blackened by smoke. Some small fires were still scattered around the room. Through a small hallway adjacent to the room, gaining access to a second, this time more ruined. As we progressed, more and more approaching a fire that was still in place, until he entered a room completely in flames. Then he saw a figure that stood between the flames.
"Liz!" he cried.
The figure turned and came toward him: was his companion.
"Red!"
"I asked you to stay out!" exclaimed the demon worried and angry at the same time.
"I'd never left you alone here, and you know it! However, I have been very useful, I knocked out a good number of soldiers.".
"Well done, baby!" Red said, softening his tone. While he would have given his life to save Liz a mission so dangerous, he knew that she still managed to get by. Then, remembering that they had to help Selene, Red said: "If you're here, means that Nuada and Selene are across the hall ... Come with me, Liz! Let's help them."
Although he did not know what he was talking about, Liz nodded and followed him, holding her gun.