Alright another chapter. THis one is a little shorter and we get to see how Rai adjusts to the BPRD. Read and review.
After I took a refreshing shower I threw on my favorite baggy jeans and a black tank top. I grabbed my newly acquired BPRD jacket and ran out the door while attempting to lace my boots. "Damn I'm so late." I whined to myself as I raced down the hall. "They're going to kill me."
It had already been two weeks since I arrived here. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but then again it wasn't really as interesting as I thought it would be either. There hadn't been a single alarm since that first day. I felt anxious to get out and show that demon boy what I could do.
Work wasn't fun either. It seemed to be everyone's goal to give me the most uninteresting jobs in the place. I had to carry this and clean that. I was bored out of my mind and usually extremely tired after filing more paperwork than should be humanly possible.
With I sigh, that came out as more of gasp because of my running, I paused to straighten my clothes and hair. "Ok then let's get this over with." I muttered and made my way into the board room trying to look as respectable as I could in a tank top, jacket and jeans.
I didn't look too bad, definitely worn worse in the military some days. I happened to be Manning's favorite because I was a military veteran. He said it had something to do with restraint and respect for authority. That and, when I first met him, I was a total suck up.
"Director Manning." I said in acknowledgement as I stood before him with my hands held behind my back. I looked like a total stiff neck the way I was acting but, if it got Manning of my back, I was ok with that.
"Ah yes Agent Lightning. I was hoping you would be here. I have a good feeling about you, kid." He said as he walked towards the other side of the room where his coffee was waiting. I smiled politely and nodded as I watched him walk off.
The meeting itself was just about budgets, paper work, and safety issues. I did my best not to fall asleep in the middle of it.
"That is why we need to put more manageable leaders out there. It seems every time Hellboy is sent out he comes back with less men than he started with." Manning said out of the blue. I looked up at the mention of Hellboy. What really caught my attention was what Manning said about the agents that don't come back.
I raised my hand feeling like a school girl as I waited to get Manning's attention. "Yes Agent Lightning."Manning called across the table.
I sat up from my slouching position in my chair. "Sir, are you saying that Hellboy lets his agents die?" I asked, knowing I was pulling the meeting way off topic. Manning gave me a confused look but nodded.
"Yes, well, we have had a few casualties in the past." He said glancing at some of the agents that were present in the room.
"A few casualties aren't a minor thing Mr. Manning. If these men can't go out there with even the slightest bit of hope that they'll survive then they shouldn't be going out there at all. It is the leaders' job to get them home safely. It's their responsibility over any other to make sure that people don't lose their lives." I gave Manning a hard stare and could practically feel the tension that had descended on the room.
I wasn't wrong. I felt a certain anger towards Hellboy. I use to be a leader of a team and when I lost just one of them I was torn apart. The fact that he could let multiple die was offensive to me.
"Are you saying Hellboy isn't doing his job?" A voice asked from the door. I turned in my chair and locked eyes with the professor. I stood up as a sign of respect, tried to regain myself, and nodded quickly.
"He may be fighting monsters but he is also supposed to be saving lives. If he can't protect the people closest to him then he has failed his job. That's what I believe."
I stared at the professor trying not to glare. He could see all of my regret in my eyes and stepped towards me to placing a hand on my shoulder. I sat down and stared across the table at nothing in particular.
"You may continue Tom." The professor said as he stood next to me. Manning took the hint and the meeting continued without further interruption.
"Rai." Someone shook my shoulder several moments later and I blinked a few times before my eyes focused on the person. Clay stood next to me and had a grim look on his face. I looked around the room and noticed it was empty save for Clay, Manning and Professor Broom.
"Have you ever lost someone close to you?" The professor asked from the other end of the room, not even turning back to look at me. I felt my body tense. "Of course. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't." I replied dryly. It should have been obvious.
"Then you can understand that sometimes sacrifices need to be made in order to complete a mission." He said. I stood up abruptly.
"It is wrong to sacrifice people." It is wrong to leave someone behind in order to save yourself and it is wrong to not fight back for someone that needs help. I would know.
The three other occupants of the room stared at me. Someone cleared their throat and the professor and I looked up.
"Well I for one agree with Agent Lightning. We need someone new in charge. Hellboy needs to be kept in check." Manning explained. The professor looked up at him. "It isn't a good idea Tom." He said. "Sure it is. Rai can lead the team just as well as Hellboy." Manning said with a smile. The professor only shook his head.
Clay tapped my shoulder and pulled me in the direction of the door. Manning and the professor would talk it out but there was no point in Clay and me staying.
"I didn't ask for this you know." I said as I walked down the chrome hallways with Clay. "You realize you putting yourself in one of the worse situations you will ever experience right?" He asked. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets and sighed heavily.
"Yeah I know and I don't want to. I'm going to roll with it though because this makes me part of the team. Demon boy can't tell me I don't belong now." I said glancing up at Clay. Clay sighed heavily this time and nodded.
"Hey that reminds me. Whatever happened to that tiger from the first night?" I asked.
"Hellboy got it and the whole thing was cleared up." Clay replied.
"Is that just how things work? Do monsters just show up for no reason?" I asked. Clay shook his head.
"Most of the time but there are times when things can get out of control and it ends up being this huge scheme." Clay said dramatically. He smiled at me and I laughed. Our laughter was cut off by the sound of a blaring alarm.
"Great." I whispered in annoyance. Why did this have to be now?
Clay clapped a hand on my back in encouragement and headed down the hall. I followed at my own pace, dragging my feet.
I made my way into the garage and stood there a little lost.
"Um…hey." I said as an agent walked passed. He paused and saluted me. "Agent Lightning, yes, how can I help you?" I smiled at him and was happy that at least one person knew my name.
"I was wondering if you knew where I'm supposed to go." I smiled sheepishly and hoped he didn't think I was too pathetic.
He smiled back and nodded in the direction of the truck. "According to Manning, the truck is for you, Abe, and Agent Hellboy." I grimaced but thanked him anyway and headed towards the truck.
When I made it there, Abe greeted me with a wave of his hand. Unfortunately, Hellboy was also there and he didn't seem pleased to see me.
"What do you want?" He asked. I shifted uneasily and did my best to keep my eyes from meeting his.
"This is my ride too." I stated in a dry tone. Hellboy glared at me and then a smile forming on his lips surprised me.
"Sorry we're full." I stared at him in shock as he pulled down the door of the truck and slammed it in my face.
I pounded the door with my fists and ended with a kick. "I didn't want to ride with you anyway!" I screamed at the closed door.
I turned around and leaned against the truck with my arms folded. I heard someone laugh behind the door and I pounded it with my fist, knocking out the electricity for a few seconds.
"Come on kid, you can ride with me." Clay offered, coming out of nowhere. I grumbled some more profanity and kicked the door again before following him to the front of the truck.
"Thanks Clay." I said as I sat next to him in the front of the garbage truck. He nodded in acknowledgment.
It took us a few minutes to get through the crowd with the truck but we finally arrived at our destination.
"Let's get going kid." Clay said as he hopped out. I did the same and made sure to walk fast enough to stay ahead of the others. I looked over my shoulder at Hellboy as he got out of the truck and smirked.
"Better get moving HB." I called, trying to be as irritating as possible. This whole week I had been hearing about him calling me Sparky behind my back and this meant war.
Second misson coming up! Reviews please!